Sewage plant operator vs water treatment technician

The differences between sewage plant 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 sewage plant operator and a water treatment technician. Additionally, a sewage plant operator has an average salary of $45,459, which is higher than the $44,399 average annual salary of a water treatment technician.

The top three skills for a sewage plant operator include treatment plant, water treatment and SCADA. The most important skills for a water treatment technician are PPE, water samples, and waste water.

Sewage plant operator vs water treatment technician overview

	Sewage Plant Operator	Water Treatment Technician
Yearly salary	$45,459	$44,399
Hourly rate	$21.86	$21.35
Growth rate	-7%	-7%
Number of jobs	35,505	16,677
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	12	12

Sewage plant operator vs water treatment technician salary

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

	Sewage Plant Operator	Water Treatment Technician
Average salary	$45,459	$44,399
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $63,000	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 sewage plant operator and water treatment technician education

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

	Sewage Plant Operator	Water Treatment Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Business	Psychology
Most common college	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	Duke University

Sewage plant operator vs water treatment technician demographics

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

	Sewage Plant Operator	Water Treatment Technician
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 95.8% Female, 4.2%	Male, 64.1% Female, 35.9%
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, 70.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.3%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between sewage plant operator and water treatment 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 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.

Sewage plant operator vs water treatment 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 treatment technician skills

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

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Sewage Plant Operator
Sewage Plant Operator vs Water Treatment Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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