Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators
Agriculture, Food and Natural ResourcesO*NET 51-8031.00United States
Operate or control an entire process or system of machines, often through the use of control boards, to transfer or treat water or wastewater.
- Median annual earnings
- $59,934
- Projected change
- −1.3%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 130.29K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
50% of the workforce
Growing to 128.61K by 2035
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The work
What water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Record operational data, personnel attendance, or meter and gauge readings on specified forms.
- Add chemicals, such as ammonia, chlorine, or lime, to disinfect and deodorize water and other liquids.
- Inspect equipment or monitor operating conditions, meters, and gauges to determine load requirements and detect malfunctions.
- Direct and coordinate plant workers engaged in routine operations and maintenance activities.
- 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.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $39,031
- 25th percentile
- $47,973
- 50th percentile
- $59,934
- 75th percentile
- $74,879
- 90th percentile
- $91,503
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $59,934 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
−1.3%projected to decline
2025130,285 jobs
2035 projected128,608 jobs
1,677 fewer positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 50%
- Certificate
- 37.5%
- Some college
- 8.3%
- Associate degree
- 4.2%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- 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.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to 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.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Water/Wastewater Operators1,480 postings
- 02Wastewater Operators1,463 postings
- 03Sanitation Supervisors1,103 postings
- 04Wastewater Technicians1,012 postings
- 05Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators791 postings
- 06Wastewater Treatment Operators731 postings
- 07Water Treatment Plant Operators606 postings
- 08Water Treatment Technicians554 postings
- 09Wastewater Plant Operators464 postings
- 10Water Treatment Operators414 postings
- 11Water Treatment Specialists268 postings
- 12Water Operators257 postings
- 13Water/Sewer Operators214 postings
- 14Operators179 postings
- 15Sanitation Managers163 postings
- 16Wastewater Superintendents140 postings
- 17Managers-in-Training103 postings
- 18Landfill Managers96 postings
- 19Water Superintendents88 postings
- 20Landfill Operations Managers82 postings
Top employers
- 01Inframark355 postings
- 02Jacobs Solutions236 postings
- 03JBS Foods156 postings
- 04GPAC108 postings
- 05Transdev108 postings
- 06Pilgrim's Pride95 postings
- 07Keurig Dr Pepper89 postings
- 08Nexus Water Group88 postings
- 09Aerotek84 postings
- 10American Water84 postings
- 11Veolia82 postings
- 12HKA Enterprises81 postings
- 13Woodard & Curran81 postings
- 14Republic Services77 postings
- 15City Of Tulsa57 postings
- 16U.S. Water Services Corporation57 postings
- 17Job Talent48 postings
- 18Jaime M. Martinez46 postings
- 19Veit & Company41 postings
- 20Central States Water Resources40 postings
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