Wastewater treatment operator vs outside operator

The differences between wastewater treatment operators and outside 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 wastewater treatment operator and an outside operator. Additionally, a wastewater treatment operator has an average salary of $45,618, which is higher than the $40,793 average annual salary of an outside operator.

The top three skills for a wastewater treatment operator include plant equipment, process control and blowers. The most important skills for an outside operator are patrol, golf carts, and cart barn.

Wastewater treatment operator vs outside operator overview

	Wastewater Treatment Operator	Outside Operator
Yearly salary	$45,618	$40,793
Hourly rate	$21.93	$19.61
Growth rate	-7%	-7%
Number of jobs	32,561	47,129
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	12	12

Wastewater treatment operator vs outside operator salary

Wastewater treatment operators and outside operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Wastewater Treatment Operator	Outside Operator
Average salary	$45,618	$40,793
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $64,000	Between $29,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	Mercer Island, WA	-
Highest paying state	Idaho	-
Best paying company	Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory	-
Best paying industry	Professional	-

Differences between wastewater treatment operator and outside operator education

There are a few differences between a wastewater treatment operator and an outside operator in terms of educational background:

	Wastewater Treatment Operator	Outside Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians	Business
Most common college	Duke University	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Wastewater treatment operator vs outside operator demographics

Here are the differences between wastewater treatment operators' and outside operators' demographics:

	Wastewater Treatment Operator	Outside Operator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0%	Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 1.8% White, 71.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.5%	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 1.8% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.3%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between wastewater treatment operator and outside operator duties and responsibilities

Wastewater treatment operator example responsibilities.

Manage and perform preventive maintenance, electrical repairs, millwright work, and MSHA safety functions.
Monitor plant and lift station performance by regularly checking SCADA system on computer.
Inspect facilities, equipment and plumbing for effects for corrosive, flammable and combustible gas.
Optimize internal controls and process to comply with new parameters set by EPA and JCA.
Review and remain current on OSHA standards and regulations for general industry and perform safety audits.
Utilize computers for SCADA monitoring, data input, work order tracking and other uses of technology.

Outside operator example responsibilities.

Manage multiple large volume fermentation tanks simultaneously.
Used LOTO, permitting and procedures to ensure safe release of equipment.
Monitor process and equipment operating conditions through field gauges and DCS readings.
Perform facility wide LOTO on all equipment that work are to be perform on.
Load acrylamide, acrylic acid, and caustic onto trailers and railcars using industry standard PPE.
Monitor and adjust distillation variables such as: temperature, flow rate, pressure, and time.

Wastewater treatment operator vs outside operator skills

Common wastewater treatment operator skills

Plant Equipment, 5%
Process Control, 5%
Blowers, 5%
Preventative Maintenance, 5%
Ladders, 4%
Plant Operations, 4%

Common outside operator skills

Patrol, 27%
Golf Carts, 10%
Cart Barn, 6%
Outside Operations, 5%
Golf Balls, 4%
Cart Fleet, 4%

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Wastewater Treatment Operator
Wastewater Treatment Operator vs Outside Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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