Plant Operator

Posted pay range: $33.14/hour. This position may be eligible for annual incentive pay and contracted increases as determined by the collective bargaining agreement, with continued salary growth opportunities.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package including 401(k) and Defined Contribution Plan
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Medical, prescription, dental, and vision coverage
• Disability, paid time off, and life insurance
• Voluntary benefits
• Health and wellness programs
• Learning opportunities and work experiences for professional growth

Responsibilities

• Operate and control plant machinery and equipment to purify and clarify water for human consumption, commercial, and industrial use
• Remotely control distribution pumps, tanks, and equipment to maintain water and fire service in the distribution system
• Monitor and test water quality to ensure safety
• Monitor SCADA to operate and control electric motors, pumps, valves, and filters to regulate water flow
• Add specified amounts of chemicals (e.g., polymer, salt, potassium permanganate) into chemical feeders and adjust devices to control chemical admission into tanks, clearwells, and pipelines for disinfection, deodorization, clarification, and purification
• Control, operate, and monitor mixers, vacuum pumps, sludge blanket levels, concentrations, and removal to clarify water
• Remotely adjust and control pumps, motors, and chemical feed equipment to regulate pressures, water elevations, flow, and quality in the distribution system
• Monitor filter operation to maintain water quality and determine backwashing scheduling
• Collect and test water samples from various process points to determine acidity, color, turbidity, pH, bacteria content, treatment application, odor, and other impurities using laboratory equipment (e.g., electrodes, colorimeters, turbidimeters, titrators, mixers, hot plates)
• Maintain and test online analytical instruments monitoring water quality
• Record data such as test results, chemical dosages, weights, volumes, water quality information, operational problems, and compliance monitoring as required by state and federal regulations
• Monitor, operate, and control Bynum Well, Winters Run Well, and Mt. Soma reservoir facilities and equipment
• Respond to consumer complaints and emergencies; notify appropriate supervisors
• Load, unload, and receive chemicals and materials used in water treatment systems
• Clean, paint, and maintain the workplace
• Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent
• Specific Vocational Preparation including an occupationally significant combination of vocational education, apprentice training, in-plant training, on-the-job training, or essential experience in less responsible jobs
• Must obtain Maryland operator certification within the allotted time frames set forth in the bargaining agreement
• Valid Maryland driver’s license
• Ability to wear a respirator and work in confined spaces

Skills

• Learn the functioning of the overall system and use judgment to keep it operating and in compliance
• Remain calm during emergencies
• Use arithmetic to calculate material amounts and apply mathematical concepts (e.g., surface, volume, weights, measures, square roots, variable formulas, plane and solid figures, circumference, area, volume, angles)
• Direct the work of others
• Operate or adjust equipment using eyes, hands, and fingers
• Differentiate between colors
• Read and understand instructions, safety rules, and state/federal regulations

Physical Demands

• Lifting 100 lbs maximum, with frequent lifting and/or carrying of objects weighing up to 50 pounds
• Stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, reaching, handling, fingering, and feeling
• Seeing, walking up and down flights of stairs, and working in confined areas
• Climbing up and down ladders and working on ladders

Environmental Conditions

• Both inside and outside work environments
• Exposure to wet and humid conditions, noise, and vibration
• Exposure to hazards, odors, toxic conditions, chemical dust, or poor ventilation

Competencies

• Champions safety
• Customer obsessed
• Cultivates innovation
• Drives results
• Nimble learning
• Collaborates