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A
Job To Love
Imagine helping sustain life by delivering
clean water to your family. You spend
your days keeping your community's water
safe and healthy. We can't live without
water and your work ensures that this
vital resource is delivered to everyone
safely. You feel good about helping
to keep your community healthy, and
people understand how important you
are to their lives. Plus, you spend
your days getting a good workout. Climbing
into storage tanks and collecting water
samples, makes your arms and legs strong,
and makes you healthy and fit.
Water
treatment plant operators monitor
and inspect water to make sure it's
pure and clean before it's used in
homes and businesses. They work in
treatment plants, and near wells,
rivers, and streams. Water treatment
plant operators often work outdoors,
as part of a team. Many Aboriginal
water treatment plant operators work
in their home communities, making
sure their Elders and families have
enough clean and healthy water for
all their needs.
Taking
care of your community's water is
a job that requires a lot of attention.
During emergencies such as droughts
and floods, you'll work long hours
to ensure there is enough clean water
for everyone. People always need water,
so you'll work in all kinds of weather
conditions. Then again, you might
like the challenges of keeping your
community's water clean.
Job
Description
Water treatment plant operators take
samples of water and treat to make it
clean and pure, and safe to drink. For
example, water treatment plant operators
investigate hazardous chemical spills
to see if the chemical could harm communities'
water sources and could pose a health
risk to humans. After checking samples
from the spill, they test the nearby
lakes, rivers, and streams to make sure
chemicals have not leaked into our drinking
water. Water treatment plant operators
work for municipalities, construction
companies, hydroelectric and nuclear
power generation plants, public inspection
agencies, and water distribution plants.
Job
Duties
- Collect
water and soil samples to analyze
chemical and bacterial content
- Make
adjustments to ensure safe water
quality
- Monitor
and operate computerized control
systems to regulate the treatment
and distribution of water
- Monitor
water run-off areas to identify
potential sources of pollution
- Inspect
workplaces to make sure water-handling
equipment and operations don't pose
a health hazard to employees
- Assist
in developing engineering specifications
and drawings for water treatment
plants
- Adjust
and repair equipment such as pumps,
motors, and filters
Fact
The average Canadian uses 390 litres
of water per day.
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High
school courses that will prepare you
for a job as a water treatment plant
operator include math, computers, biology,
chemistry, physics, and English. Aboriginal
studies, history, and languages will
prepare you for working in a multi-cultural
setting. Talk to your career or academic
counsellor about options such as ethics,
laboratory procedures, environmental
law, and political studies.
The
minimum education requirement for
this job is a high school diploma,
plus some industry training courses
in water treatment, waste treatment,
or pollution control. A two to three
year college diploma or certificate
in water pollution control and treatment,
and environmental technology, will
make you more competitive in the job
market. You'll find it easier to get
a job and negotiate your salary. You'll
increase your chances of being promoted
to top-level jobs if you have a university
degree in science or engineering.
Before
entering the workforce, some water
treatment operators require safety
training in:
- Standard
First Aid
- Dangerous
Goods
- Chemical
Handling
- Workplace
Hazardous Materials Information
System (WHMIS)
Look
into specific high school pre-requisites
set by the college or university you
would like to attend.
Most employers prefer to hire water
treatment plant operators who've been
certified. Contact your provincial
or territorial environmental protection
branch for information on licences
and levels of certification.
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Water
treatment plant operators with a college
diploma make an average of $38,000.00
per year.
Water treatment plant operators with
several years experience and education
can make up to an average of $53,000.00
per year.
Financial Assistance
In addition to the general scholarship
tips listed in the BUILD MY CAREER
section, the following award is specific
to water treatment operators:
BC Water and Wastewater Association
Water Quality Technology Bursary
$500.00 to a second year student at
Okanogan University College.
Automatic consideration when applying
for program.
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Some
of the best knowledge you'll gain
for this job will come from listening
to the stories and wisdom of your
relations. Join your family on boating
and canoe trips, and ask your Elders
how to tell if a water supply is clean.
Ask how water was collected in the
winter, spring, summer and fall. The
time you spend outdoors will make
your studies easier. Your respect
for the natural world and people's
needs will appeal to employers, too.
Relate
to people in similar jobs:
- Fisheries
technologist
- Hydrogeologist
- Marine
biologist
Relate
and interact with water treatment
plant operators. Ask them what they
like about their job, and how you
should get started.
Canadian Water and Wastewater Association
Unit 11 - 1010 Polytek Street
Ottawa, ON
K1J 9C3
website: http://www.cwwa.ca/jobpage_e.asp
Aboriginal Water and Wastewater
Association of Ontario
2547 Eglinton Avenue West
Toronto, ON
M6M 1T2
Telephone: (416) 651-1443
Fax: (416) 651-1673
email: awwao@ofntsc.org
website: www.ofntsc.org
Find your provincial/territorial water
and wastewater association at www.ccpe.ca/e/ccpe_members_2.cfm
Relate
with other students. Visit Aboriginal
student associations and resource
centres at colleges and universities
to find out what they offer. Also,
look into community, friendship, and
multi-cultural centres.
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