Water & Wastewater Treatment Plant & System Operators

Also Called:

Wastewater Operator (WW Operator),

Water Plant Operator,

Water Treatment Operator,

Water Treatment Plant Operator

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.

Energy & Natural Resources icon

Energy & Natural Resources

Career Cluster

What do they typically do on the job?

  • 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.

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.

Cautiousness

Attention to Detail

Dependability

Integrity

Stress Tolerance

Interests

Career interests describe the perspectives and interests of people who enjoy the type of work involved in this career.

Discover what your interests are by taking the Interest Profiler Quiz

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Realistic

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Conventional

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Investigative

Abilities

Whether you have received formal training or not, these types of abilities are helpful in this career.

Verbal

  • Communicate by speaking

  • Listen and understand what people say

Hand and Finger Use

  • Hold or move items with your hands

  • Keep your arm or hand steady

Skills

People who want to pursue this career have skills in these areas.

Basic Skills

  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements

  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions

Problem Solving

  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Does this sound like something you'd like to do?

1. Do some research

  • Identify how your interests, values, and strengths match this occupation
  • Talk to someone who works in this field or spend a day job shadowing
  • Use the colleges and training directory to explore programs related to this career

2. Plan your next move

  • Talk to your college and career counselor or school admissions staff
  • Visit Idaho Launch
  • Search for available Water & Wastewater Treatment Plant & System Operators jobs on Idaho Works

Data for NSI career cards comes from the following: Idaho Department of Labor, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, MyNextMove, and Career OneStop