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

What is a water treatment operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A wastewater treatment operator is responsible for overseeing the daily operations in water treatment plans, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their duties include coordinating with different staff, operating controls and systems, gathering water samples, maintaining the cleanliness of all areas and equipment, and monitoring the progress of all operations. They must also keep accurate records of data, reporting progress to managers or supervisors. Furthermore, as a wastewater treatment operator, it is essential to perform regular maintenance checks to maintain a safe and efficient work environment.

ScoreWater Treatment OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.8

Avg. Salary $48,112

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate -7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.64%

Asian 1.84%

Black or African American 7.80%

Hispanic or Latino 12.67%

Unknown 4.58%

White 70.47%

Gender

female 9.02%

male 90.98%

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 treatment operator

Explore water treatment operator education requirements

Most common water treatment operator degrees

Bachelor's

34.5 %

Associate

28.8 %

High School Diploma

24.6 %

Start to develop specific water treatment operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Water Treatment Plant	8.46%
SCADA	5.84%
Water Samples	5.28%
Plant Equipment	4.15%
Process Control	3.87%

Complete relevant water treatment operator training and internships

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

Obtain the necessary licensing

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

Water treatment 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 treatment operator certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for water treatment operators include Water Treatment Operator Class I and OSHA Safety Certificate .

More About Certifications

Research water treatment operator duties and responsibilities

Manage chemical transfers and plant feed, abiding by OSHA regulations.
Monitor ground water treatment facility through SCADA computer system and data collection and analysis.
Handle blowers, thickeners, SBR's, effluent and influent pumps, and sludge blanket judges.
Maintain, troubleshoot, and repair all instrumentation.

Prepare your water treatment operator resume

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

Build a professional water treatment 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 treatment operator resume.