Wastewater treatment plant attendant vs outside operator

The differences between wastewater treatment plant attendants 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 plant attendant and an outside operator. Additionally, a wastewater treatment plant attendant has an average salary of $46,529, which is higher than the $40,793 average annual salary of an outside operator.

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

Wastewater treatment plant attendant vs outside operator overview

	Wastewater Treatment Plant Attendant	Outside Operator
Yearly salary	$46,529	$40,793
Hourly rate	$22.37	$19.61
Growth rate	-7%	-7%
Number of jobs	55,164	47,129
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	12	12

Wastewater treatment plant attendant vs outside operator salary

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

	Wastewater Treatment Plant Attendant	Outside Operator
Average salary	$46,529	$40,793
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $64,000	Between $29,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between wastewater treatment plant attendant and outside operator education

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

	Wastewater Treatment Plant Attendant	Outside Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Civil Engineering	Business
Most common college	University of California, Berkeley	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Wastewater treatment plant attendant vs outside operator demographics

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

	Wastewater Treatment Plant Attendant	Outside Operator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 93.1% Female, 6.9%	Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1%
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, 12.8% Asian, 1.8% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.3%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between wastewater treatment plant attendant and outside operator duties and responsibilities

Wastewater treatment plant attendant example responsibilities.

Maintain buildings HVAC / lighting automation systems and make adjustments as needed for tenant's comfort and to manage energy consumption.
Measure oxygen levels in SBR and aeration tanks with dissolve oxygen meter.
Utilize a variety of piping plumbing equipment, maintain and operate electrical distribution systems and generator distribution stations.
Support third shift manufacturing initiatives with a team of 45 IUE skil tradesmen.

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 plant attendant vs outside operator skills

Common wastewater treatment plant attendant skills

Water Treatment Plant, 100%

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 Plant Attendant
Wastewater Treatment Plant Attendant vs Outside Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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