Sewage plant operator vs water technician

The differences between sewage plant operators and water 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 sewage plant operator and a water technician. Additionally, a sewage plant operator has an average salary of $45,459, which is higher than the $38,723 average annual salary of a water technician.

The top three skills for a sewage plant operator include treatment plant, water treatment and SCADA. The most important skills for a water technician are customer service, work ethic, and hand tools.

Sewage plant operator vs water technician overview

	Sewage Plant Operator	Water Technician
Yearly salary	$45,459	$38,723
Hourly rate	$21.86	$18.62
Growth rate	-7%	-7%
Number of jobs	35,505	34,702
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	High School Diploma, 42%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	12	12

Sewage plant operator vs water technician salary

Sewage plant operators and water technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sewage Plant Operator	Water Technician
Average salary	$45,459	$38,723
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $63,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	-	Redmond, WA
Highest paying state	-	Idaho
Best paying company	-	Vishay
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between sewage plant operator and water technician education

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

	Sewage Plant Operator	Water Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	High School Diploma, 42%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	Duke University

Sewage plant operator vs water technician demographics

Here are the differences between sewage plant operators' and water technicians' demographics:

	Sewage Plant Operator	Water Technician
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 95.8% Female, 4.2%	Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 1.7% White, 77.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 1.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between sewage plant operator and water technician duties and responsibilities

Sewage plant operator example 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
Project s progress are communicated to all levels of the organization and Amgen sites stakeholders.

Water technician example responsibilities.

Manage water usage plumbing repair electronics repair inventory control.
Water extraction, dry outs, roof tarps, board ups, mold clean up, demolition, fire clean up
mow, string trim, blow off.
Climb ladders, crawl, stoop, bend and work in confine spaces.
Use HEPA vac, antimicrobial, possibly sand, wipe studs and walls, and wear PPE.
Have HVAC an carpet cleaning experience.

Sewage plant operator vs water technician skills

Common sewage plant operator skills

Treatment Plant, 35%
Water Treatment, 30%
SCADA, 14%
Federal Agencies, 10%
Plant Equipment, 8%
Pump Stations, 2%

Common water technician skills

Customer Service, 10%
Work Ethic, 7%
Hand Tools, 6%
Water Samples, 6%
Cleanliness, 5%
Plumbing, 5%

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Sewage Plant Operator
Sewage Plant Operator vs Water Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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