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

What is a wastewater plant operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a wastewater plant operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $21.95 an hour? That's $45,658 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -7% and produce -8,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreWastewater Plant OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $45,658

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate -7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.29%

Asian 1.84%

Black or African American 7.82%

Hispanic or Latino 12.69%

Unknown 4.48%

White 70.89%

Gender

female 7.12%

male 92.88%

Age - 47.5

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 - 47.5

Stress level

8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.2

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.8

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a wastewater plant operator

Explore wastewater plant operator education requirements

Most common wastewater plant operator degrees

Associate

35.2 %

Bachelor's

33.6 %

High School Diploma

19.7 %

Start to develop specific wastewater plant operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Minor Maintenance	13.83%
Plant Operations	7.46%
Plant Equipment	7.22%
Routine Maintenance	5.56%
Lab Tests	5.42%

Complete relevant wastewater plant operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New wastewater 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 wastewater plant operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real wastewater plant operator resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed wastewater plant operator usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed wastewater plant operator in most of states. 34 states require wastewater plant operators to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	-	-	Certified Water Treatment Operator
Arkansas	Specific course required	State exam required	Water Treatment Operator
California	-	State exam required	Water Treatment Operator
Colorado	-	State exam required	Plant Operators Certification
Connecticut	-	State exam required	Water Treatment Plant Operator - Class II

Research wastewater 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.
Monitor SCADA systems for plant operation.
Operate sewage sludge incinerators and belt filter presses.
Operate pumps and blowers as dictated by process needs.

Prepare your wastewater plant operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your wastewater 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 wastewater 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 wastewater plant operator resume templates

Build a professional wastewater 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 wastewater plant operator resume.