Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators

Also Called:

Process Operator (Process Op),

Wastewater Operator (WW Operator),

Water Plant 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.

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Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources

Career Cluster

What do they typically do on the job?

  • Add chemicals, such as ammonia, chlorine, or lime, to disinfect and deodorize water and other liquids.
  • 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.

Personality

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

Integrity

Dependability

Attention to Detail

Independence

Concern for Others

Initiative

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

Knowledge

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

Math and Science

  • Chemistry

  • Biology

Engineering and Technology

  • Mechanical

  • Product and service development

Manufactured or Agricultural Goods

  • Manufacture and distribution of products

Safety and Government

  • Public safety and security

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

Ideas and Logic

  • Use rules to solve problems

  • Notice when problems happen

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

People and Technology Systems

  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one

  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it

Problem Solving

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

Work Values

Work values describe how your core beliefs align with those commonly needed for this career.

Support

Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

Independence

Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

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
  • Connect with a career advisor or mentor
  • Visit Idaho Launch
  • Search for available Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and 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