Water plant operator vs outside operator

The differences between water plant 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 water plant operator and an outside operator. Additionally, a water plant operator has an average salary of $45,853, which is higher than the $40,793 average annual salary of an outside operator.

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

Water plant operator vs outside operator overview

	Water Plant Operator	Outside Operator
Yearly salary	$45,853	$40,793
Hourly rate	$22.04	$19.61
Growth rate	-7%	-7%
Number of jobs	39,348	47,129
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	12	12

Water plant operator vs outside operator salary

Water plant operators and outside operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Water Plant Operator	Outside Operator
Average salary	$45,853	$40,793
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $65,000	Between $29,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	Stockton, CA	-
Highest paying state	Washington	-
Best paying company	Santa Clara Valley Water District	-
Best paying industry	Energy	-

Differences between water plant operator and outside operator education

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

	Water Plant Operator	Outside Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Water plant operator vs outside operator demographics

Here are the differences between water plant operators' and outside operators' demographics:

	Water Plant Operator	Outside Operator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0%	Male, 91.9% Female, 8.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 1.8% White, 71.2% 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 water plant operator and outside operator duties and responsibilities

Water 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
Operate small rotating biological contractor plant that utilize activated sludge with sand filters and UV disinfection to process wastewater.

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.

Water plant operator vs outside operator skills

Common water plant operator skills

Water Treatment Plant, 10%
Plant Equipment, 6%
Water Samples, 6%
Lab Tests, 6%
SCADA, 6%
Water Quality, 5%

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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Water Plant Operator
Water Plant Operator vs Outside Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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