Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators

Operate or control an entire process or system of machines, often through the use of control boards, to transfer or treat water or wastewater.

Most important skills

Operation and Control
Operations Monitoring
Monitoring
Active Listening
Speaking
Equipment Maintenance
Troubleshooting
Repairing

Key knowledge

Public Safety and Security
Mechanical
English Language
Chemistry
Administration and Management
Mathematics
Education and Training
Customer and Personal Service

What the work involves

Add chemicals, such as ammonia, chlorine, or lime, to disinfect and deodorize water and other liquids.
Operate and adjust controls on equipment to purify and clarify water, process or dispose of sewage, and generate power.
Inspect equipment or monitor operating conditions, meters, and gauges to determine load requirements and detect malfunctions.
Collect and test water and sewage samples, using test equipment and color analysis standards.
Record operational data, personnel attendance, or meter and gauge readings on specified forms.
Maintain, repair, and lubricate equipment, using hand tools and power tools.
Direct and coordinate plant workers engaged in routine operations and maintenance activities.
Clean and maintain tanks, filter beds, and other work areas, using hand tools and power tools.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (50% of respondents)
Related experience: None (33.3%)
On-the-job training: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (25%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 2: Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Low	Lower on contact with others than 76% of occupations compared	46% of surveyed respondents chose “Contact with others most of the time”
Dealing with the public	Moderate	Higher on dealing with the public than 52% of occupations compared	42% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Teamwork	Low	Lower on teamwork than 65% of occupations compared	65% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Freedom to make decisions	Moderate	Lower on freedom to make decisions than 51% of occupations compared	54% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressure	High	Higher on time pressure than 61% of occupations compared	38% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Conflict situations	Low	Lower on conflict situations than 69% of occupations compared	63% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Low	Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 60% of occupations compared	48% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Consequence of error	High	Higher on consequence of error than 79% of occupations compared	33% of surveyed respondents chose “Very serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: high
Conflict situations: low
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: low
Consequence of error: high

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions