How To Become A Hydro Plant Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a hydro plant operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a hydro plant operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $22.15 an hour? That's $46,079 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -15% and produce -6,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreHydro Plant OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $46,079

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.4

Growth rate -15%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.58%

Asian 1.29%

Black or African American 4.04%

Hispanic or Latino 6.79%

Unknown 5.49%

White 79.81%

Gender

female 7.69%

male 92.31%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.0

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a hydro plant operator

Explore hydro plant operator education requirements

Most common hydro plant operator degrees

Associate

66.7 %

High School Diploma

33.3 %

Start to develop specific hydro plant operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Test Equipment	100.00%

Complete relevant hydro plant operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New hydro plant operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a hydro plant operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real hydro plant operator resumes.

Research hydro plant operator duties and responsibilities

Maintain buildings HVAC / lighting automation systems and make adjustments as needed for tenant's comfort and to manage energy consumption.
Prepare asphalt mixtures per customer requirements, load and unload tankers and monitor tanks and assist with paperwork
Perform maintenance on MSA self-contain breathing apparatus.

Prepare your hydro plant operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your hydro plant operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a hydro plant operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable hydro plant operator resume templates

Build a professional hydro plant operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your hydro plant operator resume.