Explore the rankings
Manufacturing & Production · Updated Aug 2026

Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators

Operate or control an entire process or system of machines, often through the use of control boards, to transfer or treat water or wastewater.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
AI Exposure
57/100
Moderate

How much of this occupation’s work can be materially affected by current AI systems.

Replacement Risk
44/100
Moderate

How likely exposure is to translate into reduced human demand.

Includes provisional estimates for AI adoption pressure and labour-market resilience. How this is measured

Evidence quality
Confidence83/100
Task coverage86%

Confidence reflects task coverage, mapping and capability-evidence quality, and how much of the score rests on provisional inputs.

Task-level evidence

What is driving the score?

Occupation scores are built from the task mix—not a single prediction about a job title.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
TaskImportanceAI impactExposure
Record operational data, personnel attendance, or meter and gauge readings on specified forms.High
69
Add chemicals, such as ammonia, chlorine, or lime, to disinfect and deodorize water and other liquids.High
69
Operate and adjust controls on equipment to purify and clarify water, process or dispose of sewage, and generate power.High
63
Collect and test water and sewage samples, using test equipment and color analysis standards.High
51
Direct and coordinate plant workers engaged in routine operations and maintenance activities.High
64
Inspect equipment or monitor operating conditions, meters, and gauges to determine load requirements and detect malfunctions.High
26
Most exposed

Where AI can do more

Routine, digitized, and highly repeatable tasks face the greatest pressure.

  1. Record operational data, personnel attendance, or meter and gauge readings on specified forms.69
  2. Add chemicals, such as ammonia, chlorine, or lime, to disinfect and deodorize water and other liquids.69
  3. Direct and coordinate plant workers engaged in routine operations and maintenance activities.64
  4. Operate and adjust controls on equipment to purify and clarify water, process or dispose of sewage, and generate power.63
Hardest to automate

Where people still matter

These tasks score lowest on automation feasibility—physical presence, judgement, accountability and real-world variability all resist end-to-end automation.

  1. Inspect equipment or monitor operating conditions, meters, and gauges to determine load requirements and detect malfunctions.01
  2. Record operational data, personnel attendance, or meter and gauge readings on specified forms.02
  3. Add chemicals, such as ammonia, chlorine, or lime, to disinfect and deodorize water and other liquids.03
  4. Operate and adjust controls on equipment to purify and clarify water, process or dispose of sewage, and generate power.04
  5. Collect and test water and sewage samples, using test equipment and color analysis standards.05
Where else this work leads

Related occupations

Occupations O*NET links to this one. Relatedness reflects shared work, not a claim that these roles are safer.

See all rankings →
AI risk 49

Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Related work

Compare these careers →
Beyond AI capability

Adoption and labour-market outlook

Structural factors are kept separate from raw capability so you can see what actually resists automation. Adoption pressure and labour-market resilience are still provisional models—25% of this occupation’s replacement-risk weight rests on them.

Human dependency73
Physical dependency72
Adoption pressure64
Labour-market resilience68
Methodology & sources

O*NET 30.3 occupational data interpreted through the JobsVsAI capability, automation and structural-constraint models.

Confidence83/100
CalculatedAug 21, 2026
Read methodology →