Wastewater or Water Plant Operator

A wastewater or water plant operator monitors and controls mechanical and chemical processes in water treatment facilities to ensure safe delivery of drinking water or proper treatment of wastewater. They operate pumps, compressors, screens, and filtration systems, test water quality using specialised equipment, and maintain detailed operational logs to comply with drinking water standards and environmental protection regulations.

Operate and monitor pumping systems, compressors, and turbines to regulate water flow rates and pressure throughout treatment plants. Conduct daily water quality testing using pH meters, turbidity meters, dissolved oxygen analysers, and chlorine residual test kits. Add chemical coagulants, chlorine, fluoride, lime, and alum to water in precise quantities according to treatment protocols and Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. Monitor clarifier, filter, and activated sludge tanks to observe sedimentation, separation, and biological treatment processes. Record instrument readings, chemical dosages, flow rates, and treatment outcomes in digital logbooks and SCADA systems every 2 to 4 hours. Perform preventative maintenance on pumps, valves, aerators, and filtration equipment including lubrication, seal replacement, and visual inspection. Backwash and clean sand filters, cartridge filters, and membrane systems to maintain flow capacity and water quality. Respond to equipment alarms and malfunctions by isolating systems, diagnosing faults, and reporting defects to maintenance technicians or supervisors.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate II or III (ABS skill level 4). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

You'll need to get a Certificate II or III in water treatment, which takes time and money upfront. The work involves shift work including early starts, nights, and weekends to keep plants running 24/7. The job is repetitive: you're checking the same gauges, logging the same data, adding the same chemicals every few hours for years.

Water and wastewater plants exist in every Australian city and most towns, but most jobs concentrate in metro areas where larger councils and water authorities operate multiple plants. Regional areas have fewer positions and less job movement. Remote work is not possible. Employment is determined by council boundaries and water utility service areas, not by industry demand across regions.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 7129, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Attention to Detailcore
• Data Entry and Accuracycore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Quality Assurance and Checkingcore
• Record Managementcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Report Writingcore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Workflow Prioritisationcore
• Written Communicationcore
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
• Carry out waste water treatment
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Digital Literacy
• Process Documentation
• Process Improvement Identification
• Stakeholder Communication
• Team Collaboration

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

Last updated: 30 October 2026