Hydrogeology and contaminant geochemistry are now the dominant focus. The field is very inter-disciplinary and incorporates aspects of geology, physics, chemistry, engineering, and ecology. This industry is driven by regulatory compliance and its future is dependent on society's choices regarding the level of protection we wish versus the amount of money we are willing to spend on restoration. The consulting arm of this industry identifies the scope of a problem and a solution. The governmental regulatory arm sets standards, and evaluates and approves solutions for specific sites.
Focuses vary regionally depending on the relative roles of surface versus ground water.
Due to growing global populations, the environmental and hydro-geosciences are widely viewed as growth fields. Future job potential in the U.S., however, may not be as great as during the late 1980s to early 1990s. Downsizing and consolidation may effect many firms and employment opportunities will vary with business cycles. Future opportunities will require an increased level of technical skill and interdisciplinary training, thus a focus on the MS degree. More recently, the large firms have also moved into the environmental field.