Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators
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 pay
- $60,020
- Doing it now
- 131,000
- By 2035
- Down 5.7%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
a year
across the country
10,000 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Add chemicals, such as ammonia, chlorine, or lime, to disinfect and deodorize water and other liquids.
- Operate and adjust controls on equipment to purify and clarify water, process or dispose of sewage, and generate power.
- Inspect equipment or monitor operating conditions, meters, and gauges to determine load requirements and detect malfunctions.
- Collect and test water and sewage samples, using test equipment and color analysis standards.
- Record operational data, personnel attendance, or meter and gauge readings on specified forms.
- Maintain, repair, and lubricate equipment, using hand tools and power tools.
- Direct and coordinate plant workers engaged in routine operations and maintenance activities.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Environmental Control Technologies/TechniciansSee 17 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Hands-on and practical
Organised and precise
Analytical and curious
Careers like this one
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Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $60,020 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.