Water Plant Operator or Trainee

Is a Utilities career right for you?

Ask yourself the following questions:

Do you want more than a job while working to improve your community’s quality of life?

Do you want to make a difference to your community?

Then a career in Utilities is for you!

Make an impact in the community by joining the Water Treatment Team! The Water Treatment crew treats raw water to acceptable drinking water standards in order to keep the residents of Broomfield and all visitors safe and healthy. 

We are accepting applications for Water Operators certified in the State of Colorado*. Even if you are not a certified operator, you may still be the right fit for our team as an Operator Trainee. We will support you in testing for and obtaining your certification.

Salary range is based on certification level:

Trainee $26.19/hour

Plant Operator D - $27.73-$33.89
Plant Operator C - $31.89-$38.97
Plant Operator B - $36.68-$44.83
Plant Operator A - $38.39-$51.93

• Operates treatment facility equipment as required to include water/wastewater/reuse and solids handling treatment processes.

• Makes periodic inspections of facilities and pumping facilities to monitor proper equipment operation. 

• Performs sampling and laboratory testing procedures according to established procedures to determine treatment requirements and progress of treatment and to meet health report requirements of the State of Colorado.

• Performs data entry on a personal computer including daily log entries, quality control readings and test results, tank levels, and miscellaneous readings.

• Monitors and inputs changes to set points on computer screens, instruments, and gauges to ensure the correct operation of treatment equipment.

• Maintains security of the facility area to prevent theft or vandalism.

• Performs predictive, corrective, and preventive maintenance on treatment facility equipment including pumps, motors, valves, and chemical feeders including checking fluid levels, oiling/greasing parts as necessary, and packing pumps. 

• Performs manual labor such as loading, unloading, and storing chemicals, supplies, and equipment, as well as filling chemical feeders, as assigned.

Education

• High School Diploma/GED - required

Experience

• Certified Operators (D, C, B, and A):  Experience that demonstrates and verifies the requirements for the class of certification held per the State of Colorado Water Facility Operator Certification Board Regulation 100.

• Trainee: None

Years of related experience may be substituted for required education, however education cannot be substituted for the necessary work experience. Candidates must meet the minimum required years of work experience.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

Must be at least 18 years old.  Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license and safe driving record for continued employment. New hires must, as a condition of employment, pass the following pre-offer and post-offer/hire processes: in-person or virtual interviews, reference checks, background checks including local police check, sex-offender registry, DMV check, and pre-placement physical.

Certification Requirements:

• Trainee: Within one year of hire, must obtain Water Treatment Operator’s Certificate Class “D”

• Certified Operators: Upon hire must have Water Treatment Operator’s Certificate Class “D” or higher. Must continue to test for the next level of Certification, as eligible, at least annually until the incumbent has obtained the “A” certification

• Regular, predictable attendance required

• Physical demands are described as heavy (exerting up to 100 lbs. of force occasionally, and/or up to 50 lbs. of force frequently, and/or up to 20 lbs. of force constantly to move objects).

• Required to operate/use/construct equipment, e.g., office equipment, hand tools, etc.

• Required to communicate and/or detect sounds

• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, ability to adjust focus, color vision, and peripheral vision.

• Work near moving mechanical parts.

• Work in confined spaces.

• Work in year-round outdoor weather conditions.

• Requires indoor and outdoor activities

• The position at the Water Treatment Facility involves shift work including swing and graveyard shifts, weekends, and holidays; the position at the Wastewater Treatment Facility requires either working Sunday-Wednesday or Wednesday-Saturday. 

• Both facilities require on-call duty and working all hours during emergency situations as needed.  The incumbent must have the ability to work alone or with others on these shifts.

• May occasionally be exposed to toxic or caustic chemicals, fumes, or airborne particles.

• Tasks may require sitting at a computer for several hours.

• The noise level in the environment is moderate to high

• Exposed to wet, humid conditions; work in high, precarious places

• Travel by pickup truck may be required to pick up or deliver materials or to monitor facilities not located at the plant site.  

• Must be able to hear system alarms and make necessary adjustments when needed, monitor the facility control and alarm system, adjust control set points, perform data entry, and operate a computer.  

• Duties require a full range of physical motion and activities including manual digging, pushing, pulling, lifting, twisting and turning the upper body, stooping, kneeling, crouching, climbing, balancing, crawling, reaching for objects, walking, and standing.  The incumbent must also be alert to peripheral activities when operating equipment and therefore must have a full range of movement in the neck and shoulders