Purification operator vs water treatment operator

The differences between purification operators and water treatment operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a purification operator and a water treatment operator. Additionally, a water treatment operator has an average salary of $48,112, which is higher than the $35,631 average annual salary of a purification operator.

The top three skills for a purification operator include cell culture, GMP and clean room environment. The most important skills for a water treatment operator are water treatment plant, SCADA, and water samples.

Purification operator vs water treatment operator overview

	Purification Operator	Water Treatment Operator
Yearly salary	$35,631	$48,112
Hourly rate	$17.13	$23.13
Growth rate	-7%	-7%
Number of jobs	28,516	32,838
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	12	12

Purification operator vs water treatment operator salary

Purification operators and water treatment operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Purification Operator	Water Treatment Operator
Average salary	$35,631	$48,112
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $47,000	Between $35,000 And $65,000
Highest paying City	-	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Jacobs Engineering Group
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between purification operator and water treatment operator education

There are a few differences between a purification operator and a water treatment operator in terms of educational background:

	Purification Operator	Water Treatment Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Business	Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians
Most common college	North Carolina State University	Duke University

Purification operator vs water treatment operator demographics

Here are the differences between purification operators' and water treatment operators' demographics:

	Purification Operator	Water Treatment Operator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 85.7% Female, 14.3%	Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 1.8% White, 71.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.3%	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 1.8% White, 70.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.6%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between purification operator and water treatment operator duties and responsibilities

Purification operator example responsibilities.

Revise procedures, set examples for other operators in GMP, housekeeping and production standards.
Perform downstream processing of monoclonal antibodies in the GMP classify USFDA approve production facility.
Maintain proper personal hygiene as required by cGMP s. Demonstrate punctuality and sense of responsibility through adherence to department attendance guidelines.
Maintain proper personal hygiene as required by cGMP s. Demonstrate punctuality and sense of responsibility through adherence to department attendance guidelines.

Water treatment operator example responsibilities.

Manage chemical transfers and plant feed, abiding by OSHA regulations.
Monitor ground water treatment facility through SCADA computer system and data collection and analysis.
Handle blowers, thickeners, SBR's, effluent and influent pumps, and sludge blanket judges.
Maintain, troubleshoot, and repair all instrumentation.
Complete necessary math equations and paperwork for plant records.
Inventory on PPE supplies, solvents, and chemicals.

Purification operator vs water treatment operator skills

Common purification operator skills

Cell Culture, 71%
GMP, 21%
Clean Room Environment, 8%

Common water treatment operator skills

Water Treatment Plant, 8%
SCADA, 6%
Water Samples, 5%
Plant Equipment, 4%
Process Control, 4%
Water Quality, 4%

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Purification Operator
Purification Operator vs Water Treatment Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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