Purification operator vs water treatment technician

The differences between purification operators and water treatment technicians 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 technician. Additionally, a water treatment technician has an average salary of $44,399, 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 technician are PPE, water samples, and waste water.

Purification operator vs water treatment technician overview

	Purification Operator	Water Treatment Technician
Yearly salary	$35,631	$44,399
Hourly rate	$17.13	$21.35
Growth rate	-7%	-7%
Number of jobs	28,516	16,677
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	12	12

Purification operator vs water treatment technician salary

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

	Purification Operator	Water Treatment Technician
Average salary	$35,631	$44,399
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $47,000	Between $29,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	-	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Vicor
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between purification operator and water treatment technician education

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

	Purification Operator	Water Treatment Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Business	Psychology
Most common college	North Carolina State University	Duke University

Purification operator vs water treatment technician demographics

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

	Purification Operator	Water Treatment Technician
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 85.7% Female, 14.3%	Male, 64.1% Female, 35.9%
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, 7.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 1.8% White, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.3%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between purification operator and water treatment technician 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 technician example responsibilities.

Learned the chemistry behind HVAC water treatment.
Operate, maintain, and defend a water supply and treatment system under combat, and garrison conditions.
Operate heavy wheel combat vehicles in a variety of terrain and environmental conditions.
Monitor, maintain and improve the operations of the industrial laboratory associate with the in house electroplating operation.
Test raw water determining chemical dosages need of lime, iron, chlorine, ammonia and carbon.
Add chemicals such as ammonia, chlorine, or lime to disinfect and deodorize water and other liquids.

Purification operator vs water treatment technician skills

Common purification operator skills

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

Common water treatment technician skills

PPE, 13%
Water Samples, 7%
Waste Water, 7%
Plumbing, 7%
Patients, 5%
Hazardous Waste, 5%

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Purification Operator
Purification Operator vs Water Treatment Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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