Careers > Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators

Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators

$51.6K Median Salary 10.5K Job Openings (Annual Projection) -2.5% Job Growth

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About This Career

Operate or control an entire process or system of machines, often through the use of control boards, to transfer or treat water or wastewater.

Reported Job Titles

Plant Operator, Process Operator (Process Op), Relief Operator, SCADA Operator (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Operator), Waste Water Treatment Plant Operator (WWTP Operator), Wastewater Operator (WW Operator), Water Control Dispatcher, Water Plant Operator, Water Treatment Operator, Water Treatment Plant Operator

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Skills You'll Need

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Abilities

Oral Comprehension

Oral Expression

Near Vision

Written Comprehension

Deductive Reasoning

Perceptual Speed

Problem Sensitivity

Inductive Reasoning

Information Ordering

Selective Attention

Speech Clarity

Speech Recognition

Written Expression

Control Precision

Far Vision

Manual Dexterity

Knowledge

Chemistry

Biology

Mechanical

Mathematics

Production and Processing

Public Safety and Security

Engineering and Technology

Administration and Management

Computers and Electronics

Administrative

Education and Training

English Language

Customer and Personal Service

Skills

Operations Monitoring

Operation and Control

Monitoring

Active Listening

Quality Control Analysis

Critical Thinking

Equipment Maintenance

Repairing

Speaking

Troubleshooting

Judgment and Decision Making

Reading Comprehension

Complex Problem Solving

Mathematics

Systems Evaluation

Time Management

Technology Skills

Spreadsheet software

Presentation software

Data base user interface and query software

Industrial control software

Geographic information system

Electronic mail software

Document management software

Office suite software

Word processing software

Time accounting software

Compliance software

Operating system software

Tools

Ultrafiltration equipment

Mixers or agitators

Chlorine handling equipment

Nitrogen or nitrate or nitrite analyzer

Packaged water treatment systems

Oxygen generators

Bacterial removal equipment

Oil content monitors analyzers

Water purification equipment

Chemical pumps

Hydrocarbons analyzers or detectors

Organic carbon analyzers

Sludge pelletizers

Sludge collectors

Water samplers

Air samplers or collectors

Microcontrollers

Sludge or sewage digesters

Oxygen gas analyzers

Dissolved oxygen meters

Flow sensors

Ammonia removal equipment

Wet scrubbers

Carbon filtration equipment

pH meters

Toxicology analyzers

Conveyor screw

Sludge disposal equipment

Turbidimeters

Digital camcorders or video cameras

Atomic absorption AA spectrometers

Grit chambers

Single gas monitors

Ultraviolet wastewater disinfection equipment

Sludge shredders

Drain or pipe cleaning equipment

Water conditioners

Water treatment dryers

Screw Pumps

Sedimentological analyzing unit

Sludge or sewage removal equipment

Odor control equipment

Blowers

Heat exchangers

Notebook computers

Centrifugal pumps

Positive displacement pumps

Lift stations

Hydraulic pumps

Autosamplers

Valve actuators

Furnaces

Desktop computers

Colorimeters

Conductivity meters

Incinerators

Abilities

Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

Knowledge

Chemistry: Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Biology: Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Mechanical: Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Mathematics: Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Production and Processing: Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Public Safety and Security: Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Engineering and Technology: Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Administration and Management: Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Computers and Electronics: Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Administrative: Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Education and Training: Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills

Operations Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Repairing: Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
Systems Evaluation: Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Technology Skills

Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
Data base user interface and query software: Blackboard software; Database software; Microsoft Access; Yardi software
Industrial control software: Industrial Scientific iNET; QuestSuite Professional
Geographic information system: ESRI ArcView; Geographic information system GIS systems
Electronic mail software: IBM Notes; Microsoft Exchange; Microsoft Outlook
Document management software: Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat; Filing system software; Records management software; Transcription system software
Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
Word processing software: 3M Post-it App; Evernote; Google Docs; Microsoft Word
Time accounting software: Timekeeping software
Compliance software: ESS Compliance Suite; Mannus Compliance: EHS; Primatech AUDITWorks
Operating system software: Microsoft Windows

Tools

Ultrafiltration equipment: Ultrafiltration cells
Mixers or agitators: Water agitators
Chlorine handling equipment: Dechlorination equipment; Disinfection chlorinators; Sulphonators
Nitrogen or nitrate or nitrite analyzer: Total nitrogen analyzers
Packaged water treatment systems: Anaerobic treatment equipment; Sequential batch reactors
Oxygen generators: Zero air generators
Bacterial removal equipment: Air strippers; Fixed-film reactors
Oil content monitors analyzers: Oil water interface meters
Water purification equipment: Condensate demineralizers
Chemical pumps: Chemical injection pumps; Electrical chemical pumps; Mechanical chemical pumps; Pneumatic chemical pumps
Hydrocarbons analyzers or detectors: Chlorinated hydrocarbon testing equipment; Halide meters
Organic carbon analyzers: Total organic carbon analyzers
Sludge pelletizers: Filter belt presses; Plate and frame presses
Sludge collectors: Clarifiers; Incline plate clarifiers
Water samplers: Mechanical sampling buckets; Sample jars
Air samplers or collectors: Aerosol meters; Air quality dataloggers; Microbial samplers; Thermal desorption tubes
Microcontrollers: Programmable logic controllers PLC
Sludge or sewage digesters: Aerobic digesters; Sludge digesters
Oxygen gas analyzers: Oxygen analyzers
Dissolved oxygen meters: Dissolved oxygen monitors
Flow sensors: Airflow indicators
Ammonia removal equipment: Denitrification equipment
Wet scrubbers:
Carbon filtration equipment: Absorption equipment
pH meters: pH monitors
Toxicology analyzers: Toxic gas analyzers
Conveyor screw: Conveyor control equipment
Sludge disposal equipment: Sludge injectors
Turbidimeters: Turbidity monitors
Digital camcorders or video cameras: Digital video cameras
Atomic absorption AA spectrometers: Neutron spectrometers
Grit chambers: Grit separators
Single gas monitors: Carbon monoxide sensors; Mercury vapor analyzers
Ultraviolet wastewater disinfection equipment: Ultraviolet UV disinfection systems
Sludge shredders: Comminutors
Drain or pipe cleaning equipment: Pipe cleaning equipment
Water conditioners: Ammoniators
Water treatment dryers: Water treatment evaporators
Screw Pumps: Incline screw pumps
Sedimentological analyzing unit: Settleometers
Sludge or sewage removal equipment: Scum ejectors
Odor control equipment:
Blowers: Air cooling systems
Heat exchangers: Heat exchanging units
Notebook computers: Laptop computers
Centrifugal pumps: Centrifugal cargo pumps
Positive displacement pumps:
Lift stations:
Hydraulic pumps:
Autosamplers: Headspace autosamplers
Valve actuators:
Furnaces: Industrial ovens
Desktop computers:
Colorimeters:
Conductivity meters:
Incinerators: