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

What is a water plant operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Primarily, water plant operators monitor the equipment, machines, gauges, and processes in a water plant. They initiate necessary adjustments to ensure compliance with standards and guidelines.

Aside from monitoring things in a water plant, they record their performance to ensure they are functioning optimally. They are accountable for equipment such as generators, valves, meters, control panels, and pumps. Moreover, they conduct regular physical inspections of the plant to check the performance of each piece of equipment. Besides that, they keep an inventory of chemicals, supplies, tools, and equipment. Likewise, they keep logs and records.

For this role, employers require a high school diploma or its equivalent with at least a year of experience in a similar role. Candidates must possess a valid water plant certification and driver's license. You must be detail-oriented and familiar with relevant policies and procedures. Water plant operators earn an average salary of $44,322 yearly. It ranges between $29,000 and $67,000.

ScoreWater Plant OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $45,853

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate -7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.46%

Asian 1.83%

Black or African American 7.61%

Hispanic or Latino 12.37%

Unknown 4.55%

White 71.19%

Gender

female 10.04%

male 89.96%

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 water plant operator

Explore water plant operator education requirements

Most common water plant operator degrees

Bachelor's

32.9 %

Associate

28.8 %

High School Diploma

27.1 %

Start to develop specific water plant operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Water Treatment Plant	9.64%
Plant Equipment	6.47%
Water Samples	5.87%
Lab Tests	5.70%
SCADA	5.59%

Complete relevant water plant operator training and internships

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

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed water plant operator usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed water plant operator in most of states. 34 states require water 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

Gain additional water plant operator certifications

Water plant operator certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific water plant operator certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for water plant operators include Water Treatment Operator Class I and Wastewater Treatment Operator Class I.

More About Certifications

Research water 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.
Prepare asphalt mixtures per customer requirements, load and unload tankers and monitor tanks and assist with paperwork
Operate small rotating biological contractor plant that utilize activated sludge with sand filters and UV disinfection to process wastewater.

Prepare your water plant operator resume

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

Build a professional water 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 water plant operator resume.