Ground and Water internship
17th September 2026
This summer, I was fortunate to intern with Ground and Water Ltd, a geotechnical and geoenvironmental consultancy specialising in contaminated land and ground investigations. As a second-year BSc Geography student at the University of Bristol, I knew I wanted to work in environmental consultancy, though I initially knew very little about the geotechnical and geoenvironmental sector. Reflecting on the past seven weeks, the knowledge and skills I have gained are invaluable and I look forward to engaging with this work in the future.
My experience:
During my time I was exposed to all aspects of the business, engaging with HR, finance, Operations and Scheduling, and technical sales engineering. All of which culminated in a broad understanding of what is required for a company to run effectively and efficiently. I learnt about the process of issuing projects to engineers, from verifying client finances and issuing quotes to generating purchase orders. Moreover, I learnt about practical business risks, such as investing in credit protection, to mitigate non-payment risks- something which I had never even considered before.
On site, Technicians:
On the practical side, I worked alongside graduates as technicians. My responsibilities included gas and groundwater level monitoring, site walkovers, and validation of soil. These tasks spanned diverse locations, from rural fields to central London and large-scale construction sites like Frimley Park. This not only boosted my confidence on fieldwork but on people management skills. Part of the techs job is to manage and coordinate subcontractors for trial pits, soakaway testing, and plate load testing, all of which demand high levels of situational awareness and organisation to ensure smooth operations.
Geotechnical and Geoenvironment:
A particular highlight was working closely with the geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineers. I had a multitude of tasks included logging soil samples using OpenGround software to British Standards, analysing chalk density, scheduling laboratory testing for site samples, analysing contaminated lab results, and drafting foundation exposures for trial pits.
I was also supported in developing my report writing skills, contributing to Phase 1 desk studies by researching historical maps for contamination risks and compiling environmental datasheets using Groundsure data. Furthermore, I learned the importance of proactive client communication to build trust. For instance, when a client raised concerns about varying topsoil depths, I was tasked with creating cross-sections of soil logs from borehole drills across the site to map out and explain the variations clearly.
Overall, this internship allowed me to engage and learn vast amounts from like-minded, friendly individuals whilst strengthening my technical and soft skills in an environmental industry. Ground and Water ltd is a lovely company to work for, and their recent success in such a high B Corp certification reflects the positive impact they are all having. I would strongly recommend this opportunity to anyone with an interest in the environmental industry, and I am excited to apply all that I have learnt to my final year of university.