What does a water technician do?
Typically working at water treatment facilities, a water technician specializes in installing and repairing equipment to ensure the good quality of water and consumers' safety. It is their duty to operate tools and equipment, gather and analyze samples to detect any contaminants, participate in adjusting chemical levels, and perform regular maintenance checks on machines to ensure efficiency. They must also keep records of all operations, producing progress reports as needed. Furthermore, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with co-workers for a smooth workflow.
Water technician responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real water technician resumes:
- 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.
- Wear proper PPE responsible for containment set up.
- Help prepare for asphalt, cement and landscape restoration.
- Detail work and scope and sketch for each mitigation assignment.
- Use of various software programs, GIS and data entry programs
- Perform demo of wet areas find with water meter and probe.
- Supervise and train facilities team members in water treatment and HVAC.
- Concrete and asphalt repair including new concrete patches on existing streets.
- Make a sketch of all damage areas and take pictures for home insurance purposes.
- Make repairs to state equipment such as lawn mowers, vehicles, tractors, etc.
Water technician skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Water Technicians are proficient in Customer Service, Work Ethic, and Hand Tools. They’re also known for soft skills such as Math skills, Detail oriented, and Mechanical skills.
We break down the percentage of Water Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 10%
Installed and serviced water conditioning equipment, delivery, customer service.
- Work Ethic, 7%
Promoted quickly within restoration organization based on exceptional work ethic.
- Hand Tools, 6%
Cleaned and maintained tanks, filter beds, and other work areas using hand tools and power tools.
- Water Samples, 6%
Provide recommendations when water samples were contaminated.
- Cleanliness, 5%
Helped with tree trimming, park accessory maintenance, cleanliness of parks, and overall park maintenance.
- Plumbing, 5%
Maintained and repaired City facility plumbing systems.
Most water technicians use their skills in "customer service," "work ethic," and "hand tools" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential water technician responsibilities here:
Math skills. One of the key soft skills for a water technician to have is math skills. You can see how this relates to what water technicians do because "water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators must have the ability to apply data to formulas that determine treatment requirements, flow levels, and concentration levels." Additionally, a water technician resume shows how water technicians use math skills: "utilized math skills in calculation volume, flow rates and treatment ratio. "
Detail oriented. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling water technician duties is detail oriented. The role rewards competence in this skill because "water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators must monitor machinery, gauges, dials, and controls to ensure everything is operating properly." According to a water technician resume, here's how water technicians can utilize detail oriented in their job responsibilities: "fire and water damage restoration -hvac and duct cleaning -post construction detailed clean-up -mold removal -detailed upholstery cleaning"
Mechanical skills. This is an important skill for water technicians to perform their duties. For an example of how water technician responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators must know how to work with machines and use tools." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a water technician: "performed mechanical work and preventive maintenance in the maintenance, repair, overhauling, and/or rebuilding of equipment. ".
Analytical skills. water technician responsibilities often require "analytical skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators must conduct tests and inspections on water or wastewater and evaluate the results." This resume example shows what water technicians do with analytical skills on a typical day: "performed chemical analysis of water samples. "
The three companies that hire the most water technicians are:
- 1-800 WATER DAMAGE32 water technicians jobs
- American Leak Detection32 water technicians jobs
- BELFOR Franchise Group20 water technicians jobs
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Compare different water technicians
Water technician vs. Transmission system operator
A utility plant operator monitors, operates, repairs, and maintains utility equipment and systems. Utility plant operators work on the operation, maintenance, and repair of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. They operate and maintain a drainage and sewerage system as well as a neutralized acid waste system. The skills and knowledge they need include electronic control systems, underground cables, and the electrical generating system characteristics. Also, they are expected to know the basics of electrical practice.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, water technician responsibilities require skills like "customer service," "work ethic," "strong work ethic," and "hand tools." Meanwhile a typical transmission system operator has skills in areas such as "transmitters," "radio equipment," "transmission vehicles," and "power generators." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that transmission system operators earn slightly differ from water technicians. In particular, transmission system operators are 1.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a water technician. Additionally, they're 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Water technician vs. Distribution system operator
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that water technician responsibilities requires skills like "customer service," "work ethic," "strong work ethic," and "hand tools." But a distribution system operator might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "gauges," "minor maintenance," "api," and "storage tanks."
Distribution system operators earn similar levels of education than water technicians in general. They're 3.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Water technician vs. Utility plant operative
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a water technician is likely to be skilled in "customer service," "work ethic," "strong work ethic," and "hand tools," while a typical utility plant operative is skilled in "plant equipment," "auxiliary equipment," "plant operations," and "control systems."
Utility plant operatives make a very good living in the energy industry with an average annual salary of $51,326. On the other hand, water technicians are paid the highest salary in the government industry, with average annual pay of $39,983.Most utility plant operatives achieve a similar degree level compared to water technicians. For example, they're 2.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Water technician vs. Senior system operator
Even though a few skill sets overlap between water technicians and senior system operators, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a water technician might have more use for skills like "customer service," "work ethic," "strong work ethic," and "hand tools." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of senior system operators require skills like "nerc," "transmission systems," "hardware problems," and "printers. "
The average resume of senior system operators showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to water technicians. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 5.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.2%.Types of water technician
Updated January 8, 2025
