Water treatment plant supervisor vs water treatment operator

The differences between water treatment plant supervisors and water treatment operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a water treatment plant supervisor, becoming a water treatment operator takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a water treatment plant supervisor has an average salary of $64,203, which is higher than the $48,112 average annual salary of a water treatment operator.

The top three skills for a water treatment plant supervisor include water treatment plant, water treatment operations and plant operations. The most important skills for a water treatment operator are water treatment plant, SCADA, and water samples.

Water treatment plant supervisor vs water treatment operator overview

	Water Treatment Plant Supervisor	Water Treatment Operator
Yearly salary	$64,203	$48,112
Hourly rate	$30.87	$23.13
Growth rate	-7%	-7%
Number of jobs	33,638	32,838
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	46	47
Years of experience	2	12

Water treatment plant supervisor vs water treatment operator salary

Water treatment plant supervisors and water treatment operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Water Treatment Plant Supervisor	Water Treatment Operator
Average salary	$64,203	$48,112
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $107,000	Between $35,000 And $65,000
Highest paying City	-	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Jacobs Engineering Group
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between water treatment plant supervisor and water treatment operator education

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

	Water Treatment Plant Supervisor	Water Treatment Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	General Studies	Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians
Most common college	Stanford University	Duke University

Water treatment plant supervisor vs water treatment operator demographics

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

	Water Treatment Plant Supervisor	Water Treatment Operator
Average age	46	47
Gender ratio	Male, 90.5% Female, 9.5%	Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 4.7% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 1.8% White, 70.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.6%
LGBT Percentage	6%	5%

Differences between water treatment plant supervisor and water treatment operator duties and responsibilities

Water treatment plant supervisor example responsibilities.

Accomplish SCADA upgrades from contractors.
Manage a calibration budget of $100k and capital budget of ~ $1.0 MM.
Negotiate and obtain renewed NPDES permit for the facility.
Handle all correspondence and reports with the state and EPA agencies.
Maintain and operate wastewater facility in combination with operating lab analysis to assure proper treatment according to EPA permit.
Support pilot plant downstream operations such as centrifugation, filtration, chromatography, and homogenization activities.

Water treatment operator example 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.
Complete necessary math equations and paperwork for plant records.
Inventory on PPE supplies, solvents, and chemicals.

Water treatment plant supervisor vs water treatment operator skills

Common water treatment plant supervisor skills

Water Treatment Plant, 17%
Water Treatment Operations, 10%
Plant Operations, 8%
EPA, 7%
SCADA, 7%
Water Samples, 6%

Common water treatment operator skills

Water Treatment Plant, 8%
SCADA, 6%
Water Samples, 5%
Plant Equipment, 4%
Process Control, 4%
Water Quality, 4%

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Water Treatment Plant Supervisor vs Water Treatment Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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