Essential Skills for Modern Wastewater Operators

One of the greatest selling points of a career in wastewater treatment is the lack of requirement for a college degree in order to enter the field. However, that in no way means that working in a wastewater treatment plant is an unskilled occupation. There is a vast array of skills that are needed in the day to day operation of a plant. How many of them any individual operator needs varies on the size and other particularities of the plant and staff, interests of the operator, and desire to progress further up the career ladder.

Here, for the benefit of those trying to determine if wastewater treatment is the field for them, we take a look at the broad categories of skills that operators must have and a couple more that are a great benefit in addition. We will also include example training resources and events for each category of skills that can be found on WaterOperator.org.*

*Sample training events will likely have already occurred, and serve as examples as types of events to look for in the future.

Operation & Maintenance of Machines and Other Equipment

Wastewater treatment plants are composite mechanical networks of pipes, pumps, machines, and other equipment. In order to operate and maintain each essential piece of the network, a plant’s employees need to be able to work with and understand machines, tools, technology, and heavy equipment. While prior experience in this area is not generally required, it can certainly help new operators.

Training resource: “Operator Certification: Mechanical Systems” Webinar from the Environmental Finance Center Network
Training events: “Mechanical Maintenance and the Operator” from Maryland Center for Environmental Training, “Operation of Wastewater Treatment Plants” from Pennsylvania Rural Water Association, “Wastewater Pump School” from Smith and Loveless

Math & Science

Math is one of the most important skills in wastewater treatment. Operators use mathematical formulas to determine flow levels, chemical concentration, and other treatment requirements. Understanding the chemistry and biology of the treatment process, and even the physics of water, is also a significant advantage for operators.

Training resources: “Sidney's Big Book of Water and Wastewater Math” from the Indigo Water Group, “Problem Solved: Pump Discharge Rate” — or any other wastewater math video by the American Water College, “Microbiology of Wastewater Treatment” Webinar from the US EPA
Training events: “Wastewater Math” from the Environmental Finance Center Network, “Disinfection in Water and Wastewater” from Enviro-Clear, “Wastewater Microbiology and Microscopy” from the Wisconsin Wastewater Operators Association

Analysis

Another prominent duty in wastewater treatment plants is sampling, testing, inspecting, evaluating, and analyzing water quality, machinery, and overall process control. Some plants may have their own labs for water quality testing, and even a dedicated lab staff, but even if not, the everyday job of an operator requires attention to detail and the ability to carefully analyze the treatment process in a number of different ways.

Training resources: “A Look at the Wastewater Treatment Plant Laboratory” from the Tennessee Department of Utility Districts, “Biosolids and Sludge PFAS Sampling Guidance” from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
Training events: “Wastewater Lab Series” from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, “Wastewater Sampling and Preservation” from the Great Lakes Community Action Partnership

Safety

Safety is of the utmost importance in a wastewater treatment plant. Staff must know and follow all safety rules and regulations, know how to administer first aid, and be able to handle chlorine and other hazardous substances.

Training resources: See our recent “Learning About Safety in Wastewater Treatment Plants” blog post!
Training events: “Water and Wastewater Workplace Safety” and “Operator Health & Safety Survival Guide” from the Pennsylvania Rural Water Association, “Confined Space Awareness” by Hardin Associates & Consulting, “OSHA Basics and Beyond” from Tighe and Bond

Physical Capacity

This last category is really a set of personal capacities that cannot generally be taught. First and foremost, a wastewater treatment operator must be willing to work with and around human waste — and all of the odors and mess that entails. An operator also needs the ability to work with their hands on physical tasks and to be willing and capable of working in unpleasant weather conditions. If these are unacceptable working conditions for you, wastewater treatment is not likely to be your path!

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Another technical skill that can be hugely beneficial in a treatment plant, but isn’t so much a requirement, is electrical handling. Electricity is an important component of plants, and while not everyone needs to be an electrician, basic knowledge and ability can only help you. Check out resources like “Combined Heat and Power Microturbines” and “Power Resilience Guide for Water and Wastewater Utilities” to get a sense of the importance of electricity in wastewater treatment, or look for events like “Basic Electricity for Water and Wastewater.”

Finally, much like nearly any job, having good people skills (or “soft” skills) can go a long way in this field as well, especially if you’re interested in progressing up into management. Communication, networking, conflict resolution, leadership, problem-solving, time management: All skills to develop that make nearly any job easier to handle!

Sources:

• “How to Become a Water or Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operator” from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Water Resource Recovery (Wastewater Treatment) Operator from Work for Water
• Wastewater Operator Resume Skills and Keywords from ZipRecruiter

Learning About Safety in Wastewater Treatment Plants

Establishing, following, and training for rigorous safety protocols is critical to the successful operation of a wastewater treatment plant. Not every safety incident is as severe as the 2006 Bethune Point Wastewater Plant Explosion that’s detailed in the video above, but that incident is an effective example of how horribly wrong things can go when safety protocols are lax and safety training for operators is minimal.

If you are seeking to learn more about safety in the wastewater treatment industry, a good first stop would be the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (better known as OSHA), a division of the US Department of Labor. It was created by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, which also laid out a set of federal standards for workplace safety.

However, the act also allows individual states to submit and operate their own safety plans and requirements (which are generally fairly close to the federal plan anyway). State plans may cover all workers in a state, or may only cover state and local government workers only.

Here’s the breakdown of each state’s OSHA classification:

No state plan, follows federal OSHA plans:  
Alabama, American Samoa, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Washington D.C., West Virginia, Wisconsin

OSHA state plans covering only state/local government workplaces:
Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Virgin Islands

OSHA state plans covering private and state/local government workplaces:
Alaska, Arizona, California*, Hawai’i, Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan*, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon*, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming

*California, Michigan, and Oregon are the three states in which the state OSHA plans contain substantial differences from the federal OSHA plan.

Find more information about your state’s OSHA plan here >>
Find your state OSHA office here >>

If you are in need of assistance in identifying and/or fixing workplace safety issues, most states do have consultation services available for free as part of the On-Site Consultation Program. Other OSHA programs workplaces can participate in include the Alliance Program, the OSHA Strategic Partnership Program, the Voluntary Protection Programs, and the OSHA Challenge Program.

Read more about the OSHA cooperative programs here >>

A great introduction to OSHA and other safety regulations through the lens of wastewater treatment is this recorded webinar in the Environmental Finance Center Network’s wastewater operator certification series.

The main topics covered in the webinar include common hazards in wastewater treatment plants, personal protective equipment (PPE), confined space entry, equipment lockout/tagout procedures, hazardous chemical communication and safety data, excavation safety, and blood-borne pathogen standards.

Other common safety challenges to be cognizant of in wastewater treatment plants include slips and falls (due to the abundance of water in a facility), caught or crush hazards from moving machinery, and general good hygiene standards.

Finally, below is a sample of resources from our WaterOperator.org Resource Library covering safety in wastewater treatment. Search for others using our category and keyword filters!

• Safety Manual: Wastewater Treatment Plant Operation and Sewage Collection Systems
  • This 20-page manual from the Kentucky Public Service Commission covers safety practices for wastewater systems.
• Safety Issues in the Treatment Plant
  • This presentation from the 2017 National Association of Wastewater Technicians Conference goes through safety threats in wastewater treatment plants like chemical, atmospheric, & biological hazards; confined space; flammability; machine guarding; fall hazards; vehicle dangers; and PPE.  
• Wastewater Treatment Plant Safety & Health
  • This presentation given to the Wisconsin Chapter of the Central States Water Environment Association relates OSHA rules and standards to treatment plant operation and maintenance, and provides additional resources.
• Wastewater Safety
  • This presentation from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reviews general hazards, discusses safety practices, and focuses most tightly on confined spaces, trenches, and PPE.
• Personal Protective Equipment: Respiratory Protection
  • This presentation from the Operator Training Committee of Ohio focuses on OSHA requirements for respiratory protection. Given in 2020, the presentation contains detailed guidance on types of masks and how to care for them.
• Electrical Safety & Arc Flash Awareness
  • This presentation from the Wisconsin Wastewater Operators Association details in great depth the few simple guidelines that are essential to maintaining personal safety when working with electrical hazards. Different types of hazards such as arc flashes and arc blasts are explained.
• General Safety in Lagoon Environments
  • This presentation given to the Michigan Water Environment Association explores the safety hazards of wastewater lagoons. These include confined spaces, oxygen deficiency/gases/vapors, pathogens, slips/falls/drowning, and even zika virus.

Pathways for Career Development in Wastewater Treatment

Everyone in and around the water sector knows that there is a staffing and workforce shortage in treatment plants around the country, both in drinking water and wastewater. Much of the issue is due to the significant number of operators that have retired or are approaching retirement age, while replacement workers beginning careers are not entering the sector at a high enough rate.

As such, the question of how to recruit more younger workers has been a major focus of the water sector in recent years. Many of the recruitment issues are similar on the water and wastewater sides (less interest in trades and manual labor, lack of awareness that the jobs exist, competition from other industries), but wastewater has the added challenge of convincing young people to work with human waste.

However, when considering joining the wastewater treatment field or trying to recruit others, something important to look at are the opportunities for advancement and professional growth — in other words, the options for career development. Because the details and daily tasks of a wastewater operator’s job aren’t necessarily widely known, someone may incorrectly think that the opportunities for professional growth are limited.

In fact, that is not the case. Here, we take a look at some of the best ways to advance as a wastewater operator.

Advanced Certification and Licensing

Every state requires prospective wastewater treatment operators to obtain a license in order to perform the job. While the exact requirements for licensing are different across the states, typically they require the passing of a certification exam and completing continuing education courses to renew licenses at set intervals.

But in most states, there are higher levels of certification available beyond the basic license needed to become an entry-level operator. These advanced licenses are often labeled as Class II, Class III, Class IV, or perhaps even higher. To obtain a higher level license, a certain number of years of experience, continuing education credits, and passing more exams are typically required. Having high level licenses will help to open up more advanced positions and a higher pay grade.

Specialization

Another path to more responsibilities and higher wages is specializing in particular components of the wastewater treatment process. Possible specializations include industrial wastewater, laboratory analysis, environmental compliance, process control, maintenance, and biosolids management. Certifications for these specializations are often available. Getting an official specialization certification may not always be required, but is usually very helpful.

Supervisory and Management Positions

As with most jobs, there are supervisory and management roles at wastewater utilities that can be achieved with experience and competence. Progress high enough up the management ladder, and you can oversee plant operations and staff, enforce regulatory compliance, make financial decisions, build your plant’s workforce, and more.

Pursuing Higher Education

One of the reasons that water and wastewater treatment are excellent career choices is that becoming an operator does not require a college degree. But it’s also true that having degrees can open more doors for advancement in these fields. Associate’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees, or even higher level degrees in fields like environmental science, engineering, biology, chemistry, information technology, business administration, and beyond can enhance an operator’s skill sets and provide significant benefits to their utility.

Joining Professional Organizations

Being a part of professional organizations in any field is a great way to further professional development. These organizations provide consistent opportunities to network, attend conferences, access cutting edge training, join leadership and advisory committees, and possibly achieve industry recognition.

Here are some of the top national professional organizations to check in the wastewater industry:

• Water Environment Federation (WEF)
• National Rural Water Association (NRWA)
• American Water Works Association (AWWA)

You could also check out the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association (NOWRA) and the National Association of Wastewater Technicians (NAWT), which are focused on onsite and decentralized wastewater (septic) systems, if you live in an area where such systems are incorporated into utilities.

Many states also have state level affiliates of WEF, NRWA, AWWA, and NOWRA. If possible, being a part of both your state organizations and national organizations will maximize development opportunities. Your state may also have an organization that is independent of any of these bodies, like the Wisconsin Wastewater Operators Association.

Are we missing any organizations for wastewater operators? Or any other avenues to professional development in the wastewater industry? Send us an email at info@wateroperator.org and tell us about it!

Webinar Recording: Cybersecurity for Wastewater Operators

Watch this webinar recording to discover some of the most helpful cybersecurity resources and to learn how to use our search tools at WaterOperator.org to find additional resources and training events. This is the first webinar in our new series for wastewater operators!

The webinar answers questions such as:

• What is WaterOperator.org and how is it a useful tool for wastewater professionals?
• What are the best resources we have relating to cybersecurity in the water and wastewater sector?
• How can you find more cybersecurity resources and other similar resources on WaterOperator.org?

This free series will cover topics relevant to wastewater operators, including funding, asset management, compliance, and water quality. Upcoming events in the series include:

• Source Water Protection for Communities with Decentralized Wastewater (April 23)
• Funding Wastewater Infrastructure Projects (June 25)

Certificates of attendance for each session will be delivered upon request. Check with your certification body for acceptance criteria.

Here is the recording of the first webinar, held in February 2024. We cannot provide certificates of attendance for watching the webinar recording.