Water technician vs waste treatment operator

The differences between water technicians and waste treatment 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 technician and a waste treatment operator. Additionally, a waste treatment operator has an average salary of $47,317, which is higher than the $38,723 average annual salary of a water technician.

The top three skills for a water technician include customer service, work ethic and hand tools. The most important skills for a waste treatment operator are OSHA, water samples, and hazardous materials.

Water technician vs waste treatment operator overview

	Water Technician	Waste Treatment Operator
Yearly salary	$38,723	$47,317
Hourly rate	$18.62	$22.75
Growth rate	-7%	-7%
Number of jobs	34,702	29,892
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	Associate Degree, 31%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	12	12

Water technician vs waste treatment operator salary

Water technicians and waste treatment operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Water Technician	Waste Treatment Operator
Average salary	$38,723	$47,317
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $53,000	Between $34,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	Redmond, WA	-
Highest paying state	Idaho	-
Best paying company	Vishay	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between water technician and waste treatment operator education

There are a few differences between a water technician and a waste treatment operator in terms of educational background:

	Water Technician	Waste Treatment Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	Associate Degree, 31%
Most common major	Business	Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Water technician vs waste treatment operator demographics

Here are the differences between water technicians' and waste treatment operators' demographics:

	Water Technician	Waste Treatment Operator
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8%	Male, 92.8% Female, 7.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 1.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%	Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 1.8% White, 71.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.6%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between water technician and waste treatment operator duties and responsibilities

Water technician example responsibilities.

Manage water usage plumbing repair electronics repair inventory control.
Water extraction, dry outs, roof tarps, board ups, mold clean up, demolition, fire clean up
mow, string trim, blow off.
Climb ladders, crawl, stoop, bend and work in confine spaces.
Use HEPA vac, antimicrobial, possibly sand, wipe studs and walls, and wear PPE.
Have HVAC an carpet cleaning experience.

Waste treatment operator example responsibilities.

Manage and perform preventive maintenance, electrical repairs, millwright work, and MSHA safety functions.
Position require license issue by Illinois EPA.
Perform basic repairs and maintenance using plumbing and mechanical skills.
Perform repairs on all waste treatment and plating machinery, including electrical, mechanical, and plumbing relate breakdowns.
Work directly with production, engineering and maintenance personnel in the electroplating department.
Monitor, maintain and improve the operations of the industrial laboratory associate with the in house electroplating operation.

Water technician vs waste treatment operator skills

Common water technician skills

Customer Service, 10%
Work Ethic, 7%
Hand Tools, 6%
Water Samples, 6%
Cleanliness, 5%
Plumbing, 5%

Common waste treatment operator skills

OSHA, 9%
Water Samples, 8%
Hazardous Materials, 7%
Test Water, 6%
Plumbing, 6%
Safety Procedures, 5%

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Water Technician vs Waste Treatment Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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