Water and Wastewater Operator Job Description: Duties, Template & Pay (2026)
A water or wastewater operator runs a treatment plant on shift: monitoring the process, testing samples, adjusting chemicals and equipment, and keeping the records regulators rely on. This page has a water and wastewater operator job description template you can copy, the duties for each plant type, what the certification rules say, what the role pays, and the edit most postings need.
What a water or wastewater operator does
A water treatment operator runs the plant that turns raw water into drinking water. A wastewater operator runs the plant that treats sewage before it goes back to a river or lake. The jobs use the same skills and many operators hold both licenses: reading the process, collecting and testing samples, adjusting chemical feeds and equipment, keeping the plant maintained and producing the records regulators rely on. Plants run around the clock, and the operator on shift is responsible for what leaves the plant.
Federal statistics count both as water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators (SOC 51-8031). O*NET lists Wastewater Operator, Water Treatment Operator, Water Plant Operator and Waste Water Treatment Plant Operator among the reported titles, and describes workers who “operate or control an entire process or system of machines, often through the use of control boards, to transfer or treat water or wastewater.” BLS does not split water from wastewater, so every figure on this page covers both.
Water and wastewater operator duties
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the core duties as:
- Add chemicals, such as chlorine, to disinfect water or other liquids
- Inspect equipment on a regular basis
- Monitor operating conditions, meters and gauges
- Collect and test water and sewage samples
- Record meter and gauge readings and operational data
- Document and report test results to regulatory agencies
- Operate equipment to purify and clarify water or to process or dispose of sewage
- Clean and maintain equipment, tanks, filter beds and other work areas
- Follow environmental regulations and ensure safety standards are met
Water treatment operator duties
On the drinking-water side the emphasis is treatment and distribution: coagulation, filtration and disinfection, chemical dosing, monitoring turbidity and disinfectant residuals, and running pumps and storage that feed the distribution system. Sample results go to the state under Safe Drinking Water Act rules, so accurate sampling and records are part of the job, not paperwork after it.
Wastewater operator duties
On the wastewater side it is biological treatment, solids handling and discharge: running lift stations, aeration and clarifiers, managing sludge, and completing the discharge monitoring reports the plant’s permit requires. O*NET’s task list for the occupation includes “complete wastewater discharge monitoring reports and maintenance logs” alongside the testing, chemical and maintenance work.
O*NET names SCADA and HMI software as the control tools, plus data logging, records management and GIS. Most plants now run from a control room screen, with rounds to check what the screen says.
| Working conditions | Share reporting it |
|---|---|
| 83% every day | |
| Outdoors, exposed to all weather | 70% every day |
| Wear common protective or safety equipment | 67% every day |
| Exposed to contaminants | 50% every day |
| Exposed to hazardous conditions | 48% every day |
| Exposed to disease or infections | 42% every day |
| A standard 40-hour week | 67% |
BLS adds that “plants operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Rotating shifts, including days, nights, and weekends, are common,” and lists slippery walkways, dangerous gases and malfunctioning equipment among the hazards. The rotation is the first thing a licensed operator will ask about. Put it in the posting.
Operator certification: what is required
This is the part of the posting that has to be right.
Drinking water. The 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act directed EPA to set operator certification guidelines, and in 1999 EPA published final guidelines for certifying the operators of community and nontransient noncommunity public water systems. States carry them out through their own certification programs, and EPA withholds 20 percent of a state’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund capitalization grant if the state does not have one (EPA, About Operator Certification). Your state’s drinking water program sets the operator grades and says which grade your system needs.
Wastewater. Wastewater operator certification is set by state law and varies by state. Check your state’s certification board for the plant’s classification and the license grade it requires.
Both. BLS says operators “typically require a state license; however, entry-level workers often complete their licensing requirements during on-the-job training,” that license levels rise with experience and training, and that reciprocity between states varies, so an operator who moves may need to test again (BLS OOH).
Water and wastewater operator job description template
Copy this into your ATS or job board, replace the bracketed fields and delete what does not apply. It works for either plant type; choose the bracketed option that fits.
Job title
[Water Treatment / Wastewater Treatment] Plant Operator [Operator in Training / Grade or Class level], [Utility or city name], [City, ST]
Summary
[Utility name] is hiring a [water / wastewater] treatment plant operator at our [capacity] plant serving [population or area]. You will run the treatment process on your shift: monitoring from SCADA and on rounds, collecting and testing samples, adjusting chemical feeds and equipment, doing routine maintenance and keeping the records our permit and the state require.
[Shift rotation and on-call]. [Pay range by license grade]. [Pension, benefits and schedule].
What you will do
• Operate the [water / wastewater] treatment process from SCADA and on scheduled rounds
• Collect and test samples for [turbidity, chlorine residual, pH / BOD, TSS, ammonia, dissolved oxygen] and adjust the process
• Calculate and adjust chemical feed rates
• Inspect, clean, lubricate and perform routine maintenance on pumps, blowers, filters and other equipment
• Record readings and operational data, and complete [monthly operating reports / discharge monitoring reports]
• Respond to alarms and process upsets on shift and on call
• [Operate lift stations / distribution pumping and storage]
• Follow confined space, lockout/tagout, chemical and lab safety procedures
What you need
• High school diploma or equivalent
• [State] [water / wastewater] operator certification, [grade], or the ability to obtain [grade] within [time period]
• Valid driver’s license
• Able to work rotating shifts, weekends, holidays and on call
• Comfortable with basic math, lab testing and computer control screens
• Able to climb stairs and ladders, work outdoors in all weather and lift [weight]
Nice to have
• Higher-grade or dual water and wastewater certification
• Lab, maintenance, electrical or mechanical experience
• Experience with [SCADA platform]
What we offer
• [Pay range], [pay increases for each license grade]
• [Paid exam fees, study time and training hours]
• [Pension and benefits, and when they start]
• [Shift differential and on-call pay]
• [Path to chief operator or superintendent]
How to apply
[One step. Name, phone and current license grade, if any.]
Requirements: what to ask for, and what to drop
| Requirement | What to know |
|---|---|
| License | Required for the operator in responsible charge. For other operators, consider hiring at operator-in-training level; BLS notes that entry-level workers often complete licensing during on-the-job training. |
| Education | High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry level. On O*NET, 50 percent of respondents said a new hire needs a diploma and 38 percent a post-secondary certificate. |
| Experience | BLS lists no related work experience for entry and long-term on-the-job training. Require experience only for senior or chief operator roles, and say how much. |
| Driver’s license | Reasonable when operators drive to lift stations, wells or remote sites. Say so. |
| Schedule | Rotating shifts, weekends and on call are real requirements here. State them plainly; candidates who cannot work them will self-select out. |
| Physical | Stairs, ladders, confined spaces, weather. Name them with frequency rather than generic lifting language. |
Customizing it by setting
Municipal utilities
Local government employs 74 percent of operators. Lead with the schedule, pension and stability, which private employers struggle to match, and say how civil service testing works if it applies.
Investor-owned and regional utilities
Utilities employ 14 percent. You may cover several small plants, so say how many, how far apart and whether a vehicle is provided.
Industrial plants
Manufacturing employs 4 percent, running pretreatment or process water systems. Name the industry, the treatment process and whether a state license is needed for your permit.
Contract operations
Waste management and remediation services pays the highest median in BLS’s industry table. Contract operators often cover several client systems, so travel and on-call are central to the job.
What water and wastewater operators earn
Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators had a median wage of $60,020 a year, or $28.86 an hour, in May 2025. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $39,110 and the highest 10 percent more than $91,060.
| Industry | Median annual wage (May 2025) | Share of operators |
|---|---|---|
| Waste management and remediation services | $61,440 | 2% |
| Local government, excluding education and hospitals | $60,300 | 74% |
| Manufacturing | $59,280 | 4% |
| Utilities | $58,410 | 14% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | $57,620 | 1% |
There were 131,000 operators in 2025. BLS projects employment to fall 6 percent to 123,500 by 2035, a decline of 7,500 jobs, but still expects about 10,000 openings a year, mostly to replace operators who retire or change occupations.
What it costs to reach a water or wastewater operator
Our benchmark has no utilities family, so we match plant operators to the technician and mechanic role family, the closest fit for licensed, equipment-based work. Across our managed Meta campaigns that family ran a median cost per applicant of $13.41, with the middle half of campaigns between $7.40 and $23.58, a blended figure of $8.35 and a 16 percent apply rate. The all-role median is $13.88.
Across the whole benchmark, applicant conversion explains 70 percent of the variation in cost per applicant. Public employers often require a full civil service application; a short interest form first, followed by a call that walks candidates through the formal application, keeps more of them. Cost per applicant is not cost per hire; see the full benchmark.
Staffing the rest of the utility? See the maintenance technician, electrician, instrumentation technician, equipment operator and sanitation worker job descriptions, and skilled trades recruiting for the hiring side.
The job description is not the job ad
The template is the document for your HR file and civil service posting. The ad has to reach people who have never thought of working at a treatment plant.
- First line: pay, the license path and the pension. “Paid training to a state operator license” is a strong opening.
- Say the shift rotation honestly.
- Say it is stable, public-service work if it is.
- Keep the first step short, then help people through the formal application.
More on the ad itself is on job ad copywriting, and workforce development grants covers funding that can pay for operator training.
Frequently asked questions
What does a wastewater operator do?
A wastewater operator runs the plant that treats sewage before it is discharged. They monitor the process from control screens and on rounds, collect and test samples, adjust aeration, chemical feeds and solids handling, maintain pumps, blowers and clarifiers, run lift stations, and complete discharge monitoring reports and maintenance logs. They also respond to alarms and process upsets, often on rotating shifts.
What does a water treatment operator do?
A water treatment operator runs the plant that produces drinking water. They operate filtration and disinfection processes, add and adjust chemicals such as chlorine, monitor meters, gauges and SCADA screens, collect and test samples, maintain equipment, and record and report results to regulators. BLS counts water and wastewater operators as one occupation, SOC 51-8031.
Do water and wastewater operators need a license?
Usually, yes. BLS says operators typically require a state license, though entry-level workers often complete licensing during on-the-job training. For drinking water, EPA’s 1999 guidelines under the Safe Drinking Water Act cover operators of community and nontransient noncommunity systems, and states run the certification programs. Wastewater certification is set by each state. License grades rise with experience and training.
How much do water and wastewater operators make?
The median wage was $28.86 an hour, or $60,020 a year, in May 2025. The top 10 percent earned more than $91,060. By industry, waste management and remediation services paid a median of $61,440 and local government, which employs 74 percent of operators, $60,300.
What qualifications does a wastewater operator need?
A high school diploma or equivalent, a state operator certification at the grade the plant requires or the ability to obtain it, and usually a driver’s license. BLS describes long-term on-the-job training and no required prior work experience for entry. Math, lab testing and comfort with control-room software help, and operators must be able to work rotating shifts.
What are good interview questions for a water or wastewater operator?
Ask what they would check first if the chlorine residual or effluent ammonia starts rising, how they calculate a chemical feed rate, how they handle a confined space entry, what they do when an alarm comes in on a night shift, and which license grades they hold or are working toward. Good answers are methodical and reference the plant’s permit, procedures and safety rules.
What is the job outlook for water and wastewater operators?
BLS projects employment to decline 6 percent from 2025 to 2035, from 131,000 to 123,500. It still expects about 10,000 openings a year, mostly to replace operators who retire or leave the occupation, which is why many utilities hire trainees and pay for licensing.
What shifts do plant operators work?
Treatment plants run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and BLS says rotating shifts including days, nights and weekends are common. On O*NET, 67 percent of operators report a standard 40-hour week. Many utilities also run an on-call rotation for alarms and lift stations, so state the rotation and on-call pay in your posting.
How much does it cost to recruit a water or wastewater operator?
Our 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark has no utilities family, so we use the closest, technician and mechanic. That family ran a median cost per applicant of $13.41 on Meta, with the middle half of campaigns between $7.40 and $23.58 and a 16 percent apply rate, against a $13.88 all-role median. Cost per applicant is not cost per hire.
Related job descriptions
Hiring plant operators?
The description is the document. Getting it in front of people who would train for the license is the part we do.
Pay, employment, projection, industry and licensing information for water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators (SOC 51-8031): U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, last modified 27 August 2026; task, work-context, software and education data from O*NET OnLine 51-8031.00. Wage figures are May 2025 OEWS. Drinking water operator certification: U.S. EPA, About Operator Certification (last updated 31 December 2025). Read at source 24 September 2026. Cost-per-applicant and apply-rate figures: Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, 891 managed campaigns and 1,334 campaign-months.