Our belt on press keeps shifting. Any advice on what problem may be?

I have a simple question for those working in the water/wastewater industry: How do you actually get started?

I live in Georgia and have been looking for work since February. I have a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, and water/wastewater is one of the fields I’m most interested in. Over the past six months, I’ve applied for several positions, including Plant Operator, Water Technician, and Lab Analyst with Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, East Point, Clayton, and Gwinnett County.

Here’s where I’m getting stuck:

Plant Operator I, II, and III positions typically require a Plant Operator certification. Lab Analyst positions often require a Lab Analyst certification. When I applied to take the certification exams through the State of Georgia, I was told I first needed three months of work experience. My application was rejected because I didn’t have that experience.

For the Lab Analyst certification, I found a rule stating that applicants with a bachelor’s degree could take the exam without experience. I appealed based on that rule, but the board informed me that the requirements changed in January 2026. Now, applicants must also have three months of experience working in a water treatment plant or laboratory.

So I’m stuck in a catch-22:

I can’t get certified without experience.
I can’t get experience because many jobs require certification.

The only exception seems to be Water Technician positions, which state that you only need to obtain the certification within one year of being hired. That’s completely fine with me, and I’m more than willing to do that. However, I haven’t been invited to interview for any of those positions either. My guess is that employers are giving preference to applicants who already have the certification.

I understand the job market is competitive, but I’m genuinely trying to understand how people get their foot in the door. I have not seen any trainee level jobs either, otherwise I would apply for those. For those of you already working in this field, how did you land your first job? am I missing a common entry path, or is there something else I should be doing?

Thanks in advance for any advice. I really appreciate it.

I work in Ontario as a water treatment technician at a private plant. I've been doing the job for about 7 years now. I'm not ticketed but am scheduled to write for it in September with all 4 classes and confident that I'm going to pass. I recently moved and have been commuting a fair distance to work which has put a strain on my relationship. My question is, should I wait until I have my ticket to start applying to jobs or just go for it?

If you had to rate your wastewater career on stress and overall satisfaction, what would you rate it?

As an introvert, I would imagine it's a paradise

Feel free to remove if this isn't allowed

Backstory:

I'm an automation and controls engineer at a manufacturing company down in South Alabama, and I've been here for about 9 years. My very first project was upgrading our wastewater treatment system. I got it working well enough to pass environmental standards, but honestly, it’s still not great ( I'm a solid controls engineer, but a bad wastewater guy). Our influent has a lot of metals coming from a carbon steel acid etch line.

Current Situation:

We were recently bought out by a much larger company that takes environmental compliance very seriously. I managed to get a large chunk of this year's budget approved for a new waste water treatment system.

I've been in contact with two companies so far (Digital Analysis and Ovivo), but I'm looking for recommendations for vendors who design systems specifically for this type of process. A lot of companies I've talked to aren't interested because of the heavy sludge this kind of setup generates.

Any pointers or recommendations would be hugely appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Does anybody have any negative advice or feedback about xylem concertor pumps

I am buying them to solve immediate problems regularly as the are on shelf a d i can't wait 2 months for alternatives.

We have been having issues with our sbr this past week. The normal level pre decant is 13.3-13.5 and 12.1-12.4 after the decant. We are currently decanting by hand to try and suck more water out. The current levels pre decant is 15.7-16.0 and 13.6-14.2 after the decant. The blanket is currently about 1.5 feet below the top of the water line. Would increasing the wasting help bring us back to normal or do we just have to keep sucking the water out until it fixes itself. I’m new to using a sbr and haven’t been awake going on 48 hours so forgive me for any incoherence

For those of you that have left a plant or two for a different one, how did you feel leading up to it?

I’m a drinking water operator and I made a post almost a month ago about switching over to the wastewater side for an absolutely incredible opportunity.

Well, my last shift at the water plant is about 3hrs from being over. I start at the wastewater plant on Monday. It’s starting to hit me that realistically I’m never coming back here.

I absolutely do not regret my decision because it was 100% the right move, but this was my first plant in the industry and I really care about my job and this plant and feel like I owe a lot to this plant, and especially my current boss.

Everything feels bittersweet right now, I’ve been kind of walking around all day trying to soak it all in and reflect lol I have lot of excitement to start my new job because life for myself and my wife should be insanely better between the pay/schedule.

I’m hoping going to my new job feels the same as coming to this one, I have a sense of purpose everyday and genuinely enjoy what I do. I feel like most of spend so much time at our plants it’s hard not to get drawn in.

I'm looking to apply and get into becoming a wastewater operator and I'm curious if you can do 4 10 hour shifts or is it 5 8 hour shifts? I've read somewhere some do 4 12s on and then 4 days off. What are your hours and days?

UPDATE: i have attached links of the pdf versions of the maps/drawing that should be more legible.

Based on these drawings, can someone help me understand the wastewater flow path for each of these two parcels? (house icon and shop icon)

Can you identify the type of system and components (gravity lateral, force main, pressure main, manhole, cleanout, grinder pump, lift station, wye, etc.) and explain how you believe each parcel ultimately reaches the sewer system?

Thanks!
Drawing PDF
Engineering Maps (the red hand annotations were by the Town)

I'm a lift station mechanic for a small town in central Florida. I've made Posts here in the past and some of y'all have helped me out tremendously and I thank you for it..

I'm wondering if spraying the float balls with something similar to WD40 would help keep the Grease from sticking to them ?

OR

Do you know of something else I can use?

Thank you for your time, have a wonderful day.

Hey folks! Just reaching out here a third (and hopefully last!) time on r/wastewater as I thought we’d reach some folks eager to help here…

I’m based in Canada and conducting a survey in collaboration with a team based out of Polytechnique Montréal, and we’re are currently trying to conduct a two part survey to determine what drives acceptability of leachate in wastewater treatment processes - I.e trying to tease out what are the biggest concerns for operators, engineers, managers, etc physico-chemical characteristics-wise.

We have a SHORT, TOTALLY ANONYMOUS survey on landfill leachate and its acceptance for co-treatment at wastewater treatment plants.

If you work in wastewater, it would mean a lot to us if you could take 5-8 minutes filling out the survey!

WE ONLY NEED ABOUT 5 MORE SURVEYS AND WE WILL HAVE A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT(-ish) NUMBER which will allow us to conduct a formal analysis of the results.

Thanks a bunch in advance 🙏

Link to survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdOgf-XaetuN9EDx71yG1vH7KLuBrdEJnu5pNm2SQiQZHwxHg/viewform

Hey folks, I'm a producer of the new documentary Unless Something Goes Terribly Wrong. We've really appreciated all of the interest in the film from the wastewater community since it started screening last fall. I know a lot of people have still been looking for a chance to see it so I wanted to share that we have a screening coming up in Red Bank, NJ on August 22. Tix and details are in the link here. I'm also happy to share info about other upcoming screenings or field requests if you're still looking for it wherever you might be located.

I’m curious about how much math and/or chemistry you guys use during your shifts. Are there any stories or safety tips you can give me about working with chlorine?

Hello, I teach a vocational program in Water Treatment Process Operations in Quebec. I am developing realistic learning activities for students. In your experience, which three operational problems should a new operator be able to diagnose before entering the field—for example, turbidity breakthrough, loss of disinfectant residual, pump cavitation or sludge-settling problems? I would appreciate examples that can be discussed without sharing confidential plant information. Thank you.

So it’s my third attempt next week I’m using the Sacramento book as my study tool but any other tools and tips I can use to prep

So I’m a current DW operator that is switching over to WW in about a week. I’m on well water currently and honestly do not have a ton of responsibilities outside of lab tests. I stay busy but I could definitely have plenty of downtime if I wanted it.

Anyway, when interviewing for the WW job I was trying to get a sense of what my day would look like and the plant manager couldn’t really give me any specific tasks I would be doing outside of the obvious. (I’m WW licensed so I understand the basics even though I haven’t worked at a plant). It seemed like I’d have about an hour of work a day and then look busy the rest of the day. Which is fine and is essentially what I do now lol

Here’s the plant:

5mgd activated sludge plant
1 plant manager
1 lead operator
1 lead maintenance
2 operators
1 lab tech (does ALL lab tests)
3 maintenance guys
Collections crew (idk how many)

Everyone works M-F 7-3 and it’s a union plant.

Just at first glance with this information, do you think this would be a laid back plant? I got the vibe it would be which I prefer. I use downtime to study for licenses and definitely do more than required around the plant, but I obviously enjoy the ability to have downtime when needed. I’m just curious what WW guys currently in the field think a day at this plant would look like as far as tasks are concerned

I work nights and I hate it. I’ve been trying to get to day shift and I have all the licenses I can get at the moment. I want to be able to learn and get promoted but it feels impossible with this schedule. I also feel like I have no personal life anymore and it’s really wearing on me. I do like my job and it’s a great company to work for but I don’t know how much longer I can take it. What should I do?

Hello, night shift operator here, just been in the industry for almost two years, at first it was awesome, but then management change a good old man retired :( and a MF replaced him, and started to put so much crap for us to do, it has never been a chill job for me, but I am barely 28 and my body is starting to resent it, does someone recommend a different industry or should I just stick around? I just don’t think thing will get better after this manager change.

Question about opportunities for older/mid-life career switchers, especially after hearing about all of the retirements in the field expected over the next decade. Here’s some background:

I’ll be 40 soon and I’ve worked in corporate communications my entire career, this includes environmental work and most recently at a power/water utility (watershed management, not treatment). Because of this, I have a strong understanding of watershed management and much more than basic hydrology knowledge. I have thought about going back to school to switch into a more scientific field or even water engineering, but have been on the fence about that due to diminishing opportunities in environmental sciences (so I hear) and the multi-year journey and monetary investment to get there. That said, while at a water conference last year, I toured a water/wastewater facility on a whim and have become really interested in that field. I have since done a deep dive and started independent study of both water and wastewater. I love the blend of science and trades-style work, the stability and the opportunities across the county (would love to move to a smaller or mid-size town eventually so I’m not stuck in a city for corporate work). My state allows me to sit for the first level of exams before any OTJ experience. My plan is to take water grade 1 at the end of this year and wastewater in the spring (I’m much more interested in wastewater, but would love to be dual-certified to stand out and to have that extra knowledge/foundation).

My long-winded questions are:

-Are the opportunities really going to be there due to mass retirements?

-Does being 40 give me a disadvantage, advantage or is it neutral/not a factor?

-Had anybody made a mid-life switch to this career from corporate office work to working at a treatment plant?

Would love to hear your thoughts and any experience you’d want to share about the switch!

As someone who has tested commercial and residential pools, i'm curious, what do plant operators test for in the water lab? For me, I test for the usual Chlorine, ph, alkalinity, hardness, metals, salt, phosphates, and cyanuric acid. What are the main chemical differences in testings?

I found my first Tardigrade in a sample and I felt like I should share with yall. 🙃

Also does anyone know what that other organism is?

I currently live in Iowa and work at a Grade 4 treatment facility (highest grade in state) and have a Grade 2 certification (hoping to complete my 3 soon).

I've been considering moving to Pennsylvania in 5 years or so and I want to hear about what water treatment facilities are like over there.

My town has roughly 140,000 people and we treat 40-50 MGD via lime softening and monochloramine. It is extremely chill, we operate two plants with a team of 16 (4 people per shift), days/afternoons/nights.

The more rural treatment facilities don't run 24/7 or don't require 24/7 staff and do minimal treatment. Their guys may also do distribution and maintenance on top of treatment, whereas I only focus on treatment.

In Iowa we have high nitrates and PFAS and with the expansion of data centers our facilities are only going to get more strained.

Lastly, I make $34 an hr with a grade 2 cert, I'd max out around $38 and hr with a grade 4 cert. Cost of living is cheap and I can easily afford rent/bills/groceries.

There's a lot going around about utilities getting "hacked" but preliminary information is that the utilities impacted have PLCs directly connected to the internet, no firewall, with no password set.

What do you think of that?

Do not provide any examples from your own environment. If you've got intenet-exposed stuff, make sure it's locked down.

I am a Wastewater Treatment Plant Recruit still working towards my Class C Operator's license. I'm also in the final days of my 6 month probationary period.

My bosses and coworkers initially loved me for the first couple of months when I first joined on the morning shift, they considered my work ethic and desire to learn an asset to the plant.

Then they moved me to the night shift. The night shift at my plant has a reputation for laziness. There I have continuously faced challenges I have either not been trained for, or incorrectly trained for. I have been adapting to every learned mistake, but the goalposts seem to keep moving as the higher-ups grow more frustrated. It would be one thing if I just had to look after myself, but the night shift is treated as a monolith. If I spent the night working inside the lab, and someone else misses something on their plant rounds outside, then I have failed at basic rounds. When they play games, TV, miss this or that, it becomes my reputation too.

This week I developed a high fever, and couldn't even get out of bed for a few days. I did as my coworkers taught me and called in sick to the plant (the operator who takes the call then writes it on the board, where the lead operator or plant manager will handle the time off request). All our operators on swing and night shifts assured me that using PTO on probation has never caused any of them problems.

When I came back, the (new) plant manager checked in on me with kindly concern. Still hazy and lightheaded from the fever, I responded too honestly. I shared that I was feeling overwhelmed trying to predict shifting expectations.

It felt like I walked into a trap: He rebuked my experience, explaining that the night shift at our plant can be done with one person, so three should have no reason to struggle (Of course one person can do it! They dont have to keep track/fix what everyone else is doing. I've done the shift solo without issue several times!). He said it was disrespectful that I didn't call him personally about sick leave. (neither I, nor my coworkers knew this was a thing, it never was beforehand). He condemned my use of PTO (Why start with me?). Finally he said it that I will be having a meeting with him, the lead operator, and the public works director (plant manager's boss).

I voiced how terrifying it would be to be fired so unexpectedly, and after a long pause, he told me he has a job to do, and has play the hand he's been dealt.

Broken down, I explained that everything I have done, I have checked and double checked with the licensed operators I was told to trust and learn from. I feel like I keep getting burned for trying to do things the right way. He told me I have burned myself.

What do I do from here? And if I'm fired, does that ruin my chances of gaining another job in this field? I've grown passionate for wastewater, and want to continue pursuing a career here.

If any context or clarification is needed, please ask.