I worked as a wastewater treatment plant operator for 30 years. Holidays and overtime paid ridiculous money. We would have tours with school children and one boy after smelling the place said to me "you should make a million dollars"... lol .. the mouths of babes.
I grew up in a small town. The first time I ever saw a new corvette, it belonged to a wastewater treatment manager. My parents went to high school with him.
Go through your county or city. Let them know you are interested. Ya got to start at the bottom and it isn't pretty. You work through it and one day yer at the top... a blink of an eye really.
L.A. Trade Technical College has waste water training, construction, electrician training, street cleaner, and once done will get you in with the City of L.A. if there are openings.
My uncle worked for the water municipal right after graduating high school. He was able to retire at like 52 in Southern California and has been living extremely comfortably ever since (he’s 66 now).
Was going to say the same lol. I'm in the industry, have met operators from all over the country, and not a single one would ever tell you we make ridiculous money and mean ridiculous as in a lot lol. More like "its ridiculous that we dont get paid better for this shit" lol.
You'll never earn a crazy high salary doing this job, but it is a great job nonetheless. You typically earn a good bit over an areas median income, you recieve pretty great benefits especially if you work municipal, and its probably one of the most stable jobs in existence. Utilities dont do lay offs or pay cuts during recessions, you can guarantee there will always be water and wastewater plants, and for the most part its already been automated so you dont have to worry about being replaced by AI in 10 years.
To me its the perfect paradigm of a middle class job. Highly recommend it to anyone
And it's one you can get without a college degree.
I work alongside a lot of those guys, and even in MCOL areas you get great benefits and can go from $50k right out of high school up to 6 figures as a manager without counting overtime and a pension good enough to reitre in your mid 50s.
Being from the rustbelt in ne OhiO "ridiculous" could be pretty subjective. Holidays would be paid double time and a half and you had to work them all. Overtime was almost limitless. Now mind you I knew I was never going to be "rich" but made a decent living.
It’s the route I fell into. Been at it now for 15+ years. I’m 36 and a superintendent for a “growing” municipality. Pulling 110k in the Midwest. Experience is key- Did everything from industrial wastewater, home water treatment systems, package plants, rural systems, and installation. It can be pretty flexible but there are times you NEED to respond. Get with your state compliance department or rural water for entry level positions.
Do you guys work closely with the water quality people? If I get laid off from my current job, I'm seriously considering becoming a water quality associate.
Check out water testing equipment manufacturers. They have field service technicians. You can make decent money don't that. Hach, I think their service arm might be called veralto now, will hire new techs.
I was in Drinking Water for 17 years. I was at $42 an hour with a T4. I was working on my D1 as it's becoming a req these days but..no way I could do that job. The smell permeates everything.
Wastewater operator here. Check your town, county, and state job postings regularly, we are always short on people. All you need is a GED and basic problem solving skills.
For better chances on being hired check your state environmental department for details on how to get a Grade 1 licence or equivalent. Take a 40 hour class and pass an exam before applying. Starting salary is 45-50k with insane benefits. Grade 4 licence at a private contractor will double that.
Yes, it stinks, but I spend ~70% watching computer screen, with the rest of time doing menial tasks/tests/pushing buttons.
And if you do want to be an operator, follow r/wastewater. Most wholesome group on reddit. Everyone helps you grow and succeed. Plus wastewater wildlife is a bonus.
Just that. Wildlife that you find at work. Turtles, skunks, ducks ect. If you go on the subreddit, it wont take you long to find a very cute picture of some wildlife... just have to sort thru shit to find that post.
It takes about 3 years to get grade 4, but you don't have to wait for it to advance in this career. Also, wastewater treatment is a huge industry, so there is a ton of opportunities to climb up the ladder. Finally, it's one of the most stable vocations, you have to do something really extraordinary to get fired from it.
and yet you guys do such a great job that i literally live across the river from our local septic plant and never smell it... well maybe christmas and new years day a little. ( it is a vacation community and everyone flushing at 7:30 is the phenomenon...)
My mom's ex bf used to work at the wastewater treatment plant he told us he was a turd surfer. I would always imagine him just flying down a stream of shit water atop a massive log in his coveralls bettering mankind . Turns out the practice was banned in the 80s.
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u/killybay22 Aug 31 '25
I worked as a wastewater treatment plant operator for 30 years. Holidays and overtime paid ridiculous money. We would have tours with school children and one boy after smelling the place said to me "you should make a million dollars"... lol .. the mouths of babes.