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Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators

It's a bright outlook for

This career will grow rapidly in the next few years.

Learn more about what they do.

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

Related: Biomass Plant Technicians Chemical Plant & System Operators Hydroelectric Plant Technicians Power Plant Operators Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, & Still Machine Setters, Operators, & Tenders

Industries: Government Utilities

Summary
Details

Record operational data, personnel attendance, or meter and gauge readings on specified forms.
Clean and maintain tanks, filter beds, and other work areas, using hand tools and power tools.
Inspect equipment or monitor operating conditions, meters, and gauges to determine load requirements and detect malfunctions.
Maintain, repair, and lubricate equipment, using hand tools and power tools.
Maintain, repair, and lubricate equipment, using hand tools and power tools.
Collect and test water and sewage samples, using test equipment and color analysis standards.
Direct and coordinate plant workers engaged in routine operations and maintenance activities.
Add chemicals, such as ammonia, chlorine, or lime, to disinfect and deodorize water and other liquids.
Clean and maintain tanks, filter beds, and other work areas, using hand tools and power tools.
Clean and maintain tanks, filter beds, and other work areas, using hand tools and power tools.
Maintain, repair, and lubricate equipment, using hand tools and power tools.
Collect and test water and sewage samples, using test equipment and color analysis standards.
Operate and adjust controls on equipment to purify and clarify water, process or dispose of sewage, and generate power.

Management of Material Resources
- Managing equipment and materials.
Equipment Maintenance
- Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
Operation and Control
- Using equipment or systems.
Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
Persuasion
- Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
Social Perceptiveness
- Understanding people's reactions.
Equipment Selection
- Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
Quality Control Analysis
- Testing how well a product or service works.
Complex Problem Solving
- Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Judgment and Decision Making
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
Systems Analysis
- Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Management of Personnel Resources
- Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
Mathematics
- Using math to solve problems.
Instructing
- Teaching people how to do something.
Writing
- Writing things for co-workers or customers.
Monitoring
- Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
Technology Design
- Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
Operations Analysis
- Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
Time Management
- Managing your time and the time of other people.
Active Listening
- Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
Critical Thinking
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
Active Learning
- Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
Coordination
- Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
Learning Strategies
- Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
Negotiation
- Bringing people together to solve differences.
Service Orientation
- Looking for ways to help people.
Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
Speaking
- Talking to others.
Science
- Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
Reading Comprehension
- Reading work-related information.
Troubleshooting
- Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
Programming
- Writing computer programs.
Management of Financial Resources
- Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
Systems Evaluation
- Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

Category Flexibility
- Grouping things in different ways.
Problem Sensitivity
- Noticing when problems happen.
Memorization
- Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
Sound Localization
- Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
Finger Dexterity
- Putting together small parts with your fingers.
Speed of Limb Movement
- Quickly moving your arms and legs.
Gross Body Coordination
- Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
Gross Body Equilibrium
- Keeping your balance or staying upright.
Near Vision
- Seeing details up close.
Night Vision
- Seeing at night or under low light.
Oral Comprehension
- Listening and understanding what people say.
Oral Expression
- Communicating by speaking.
Perceptual Speed
- Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Manual Dexterity
- Holding or moving items with your hands.
Rate Control
- Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
Far Vision
- Seeing details that are far away.
Originality
- Creating new and original ideas.
Number Facility
- Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
Deductive Reasoning
- Using rules to solve problems.
Speed of Closure
- Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
Speech Recognition
- Recognizing spoken words.
Speech Clarity
- Speaking clearly.
Trunk Strength
- Using your lower back and stomach.
Extent Flexibility
- Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Static Strength
- Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
Visualization
- Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Written Comprehension
- Reading and understanding what is written.
Selective Attention
- Paying attention to something without being distracted.
Multilimb Coordination
- Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
Time Sharing
- Doing two or more things at the same time.
Glare Sensitivity
- Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
Hearing Sensitivity
- Telling the difference between sounds.
Reaction Time
- Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
Visual Color Discrimination
- Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
Dynamic Strength
- Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
Explosive Strength
- Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
Control Precision
- Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
Depth Perception
- Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
Auditory Attention
- Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
Wrist-Finger Speed
- Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
Dynamic Flexibility
- Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Peripheral Vision
- Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
Response Orientation
- Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
Written Expression
- Communicating by writing.
Spatial Orientation
- Knowing where things are around you.
Fluency of Ideas
- Coming up with lots of ideas.
Mathematical Reasoning
- Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
Inductive Reasoning
- Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
Flexibility of Closure
- Seeing hidden patterns.
Information Ordering
- Ordering or arranging things.
Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Keeping your arm or hand steady.
Stamina
- Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

Biology
- Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Philosophy and Theology
- Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
Mathematics
- Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Telecommunications
- Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Physics
- Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Medicine and Dentistry
- Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Communications and Media
- Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Foreign Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
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.
Mechanical
- Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
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.
Therapy and Counseling
- Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Sales and Marketing
- Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Law and Government
- Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
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.
Personnel and Human Resources
- Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Design
- Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Production and Processing
- Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Building and Construction
- Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
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.
Food Production
- Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
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.
Geography
- Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Fine Arts
- Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Sociology and Anthropology
- Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
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.
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.
Transportation
- Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
History and Archeology
- Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Psychology
- Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
English Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Economics and Accounting
- Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Computers and Electronics
- Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

More than 1 year on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

Washington Annual Salary

78810/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

37.89/hr

Currently Employed

2,780

Yearly Projected Openings

300

Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:

Dependability
Integrity
Attention to Detail
Independence
Cooperation
Adaptability/Flexibility

Air samplers or collectors
Ammonia removal equipment
Atomic absorption AA spectrometers
Autosamplers
Bacterial removal equipment
Blowers
Carbon filtration equipment
Centrifugal pumps
Chemical pumps
Chlorine handling equipment
Colorimeters
Conductivity meters
Conveyor screw
Desktop computers
Digital camcorders or video cameras
Dissolved oxygen meters
Drain or pipe cleaning equipment
Flow sensors
Furnaces
Grit chambers
Heat exchangers
Hydraulic pumps
Hydrocarbons analyzers or detectors
Incinerators
Lift stations
Microcontrollers
Mixers or agitators
Nitrogen or nitrate or nitrite analyzer
Notebook computers
Odor control equipment
Oil content monitors analyzers
Organic carbon analyzers
Oxygen gas analyzers
Oxygen generators
Packaged water treatment systems
Positive displacement pumps
Screw Pumps
Sedimentological analyzing unit
Single gas monitors
Sludge collectors
Sludge disposal equipment
Sludge or sewage digesters
Sludge or sewage removal equipment
Sludge pelletizers
Sludge shredders
Toxicology analyzers
Turbidimeters
Ultrafiltration equipment
Ultraviolet wastewater disinfection equipment
Valve actuators
Water conditioners
Water purification equipment
Water samplers
Water treatment dryers
Wet scrubbers
pH meters

Compliance software
Data base user interface and query software
Document management software
Electronic mail software
Geographic information system
Industrial control software
Office suite software
Operating system software
Presentation software
Spreadsheet software
Time accounting software
Word processing software

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Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators

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