Can you share what led you to choose a career in water treatment?
I had a friend who got a job with my town’s water treatment plant, and he encouraged me to apply there when another position became available. He was friends with the boss who ran the water plant, and he let the boss know I was a good worker. I started there in August of 1991.
It’s a really good job, especially as you work your way up to bigger plants. I’ve been doing this for over thirty years, and I’ve built up a nice retirement. This job with my experience would pay about $50,000 annual income, but with my overtime and benefits, I’m pushing $80,000. I am earning that income with a high school education, and that’s it.
What was the training like for that role? Did the plant offer on-the-job training?
Yes, a lot of places sign up new employees as a Water Treatment Operator-In-Training and have them work directly under the supervisor until they build enough experience to test for their license. There are four different classes of Water Treatment Operators, and each class has different testing and experience requirements which are determined by the state. Some people go to college to prepare for this job, but it’s not always necessary, depending on what your goals are.
You will need to put in some classroom time to meet state requirements, whether you are preparing to move up a class level or to maintain your active licensure. Right now, I’m Class 3, and while I’ve more than surpassed the experience hours required for Class 4, I needed additional education to go up a class and chose not to get it. For the higher licenses—Class 3 and Class 4—it is a requirement to have 24 hours of class time every two years to renew that license. The state offers different venues for classes where they educate operators on different topics, like chlorine or pumps and motors.
There’s a lot of troubleshooting involved, so it’s good to have some analytical skills and be a problem solver. You’ll take tests to get your license, and some of those questions are really difficult. However, you probably won’t see that stuff again throughout your career, but the point of those questions is to see if you can solve problems when things are happening in the plant. Problems can happen, like flooding which could cause clogs or a filtration upgrade could hit a few issues. Different plants can have different setups with entirely different challenges, and it’s the Plant Operator’s job to fix them.
What’s the average workday like for a Water Treatment Plant Operator?
My job is very repetitive. I work in a large plant, and I’m a shift worker. I work 12-hour shifts which make up my 48-hour work week, and I rotate that with a 36-hour week. My job doesn’t change much from day to day, and much of the plant operation is automated, so I am often sitting and watching computers reporting on the system.
I started in a small plant where there wasn’t a whole lot of water produced, but now I am working in a bigger plant where 2.5 million gallons of water are treated during my 12-hour shift. During that shift, I run tests on the water, and the tests aren’t extremely complicated. I use the test results to adjust the water with chemicals in the lab.
The main thing to know about this job is that it requires a dedicated and responsible individual. Also, you need to be punctual. I often think about advice from my father, who said, “You have to be early to be on time.”
I didn’t really have a plan after high school in terms of a career. My dad was a laborer, and I thought I would probably do that as well. He worked really hard, and I tried to follow that example in my own life. At my first water plant job, I was promoted to manager over other people who had worked there longer than me, but I was more responsible, so I got the job.
What are some of the benefits of this career?
I’m in the PEIA state retirement program which is the same system teachers and other state employees have. With my retirement and Social Security, I’ll get between $4,500 and $5,000 monthly before taxes. That’s the end goal.
Another benefit is that you can always move to a bigger plant to make more money. I was a manager at a small plant, but at some point, I decided to move on to a bigger operation. I lost all my responsibility, but I made an additional $11,000 per year and gradually progressed upward from there.
What is the job outlook for Water Plant Treatment Operators?
Young people are not really getting into this field. I usually see older people in my classes and running the plants. In fact, we often have to pull in people from other departments at the plant to fill the operator role. So, someone might start as a laborer who services the pipes and eventually move over to become a Water Treatment Operator-In-Training. There’s actually a shortage of operators all over the nation, but this is a really good job for young people that offers job security
Do water treatment plants offer things like job shadowing to bring in more people?
I haven’t heard of anyone job shadowing, but if someone’s interested they can usually spend an hour or two visiting a plant. However, they need to call ahead to be sure it’s okay. Plants do have certain security and safety measures they uphold, but we are open to the public. We want to be as welcoming as possible so people can see and understand the treatment process. For years, I drove past my town’s water plant and had no idea what it was or what was going on inside. Then, I got a job there and saw how interesting it is. It’d be nice if more people knew what it takes to provide the water they use every day.
Are there many training centers in West Virginia to help people prepare for this role?
The state helps us a lot. They have training facilities, and there’s different entities that put on different classes like RCAP (The Rural Community Assistance Partnership), for example, who arrange classes where you can get your license. There are different sources for training. For a Class 1 license, I think you need to have a year of training and pass a test.
What are some other types of jobs at your plant?
Well, we have a guy who runs the lab and a supervisor who we call the Chief Operator. We just hired a woman who is going to take over running the lab. There are also maintenance guys and an electrician working at the plant.
Interview conducted, transcribed, and written by Marlynda Arnett, Program Innovation Leader for West Virginia Women Work.
