Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator II

City of Airway Heights

Airway Heights, WA

Vision , Medical , Dental , Paid Time Off , Life Insurance , Retirement
Other

Job Description

Salary: $5,238.89 - $6,073.29 a month DOE

TITLE: Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator II

DEPARTMENT: Public Works

REPORTS TO: Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Ill/Operator in Charge, indirectly reports to the Public Works Director.

SUPERVISES: Treatment Plant staff in the absence of the Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator III/Operator in Charge.

SALARY: $5,238.89 - $6,073.29 per month

NATURE OF WORK:

The primary functions of the Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator 2 are: Operation and maintenance of the City's 1.0 MGD Wastewater Treatment Facility. Assists the Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Ill/Operator In Charge with daily laboratory analysis in compliance with Washington State Department of Ecology NPDES Permit. This position will participate in an on call rotation.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

Maintains wastewater laboratory in compliance with Washington State Dept. of Ecology
Assist in the daily analysis and accuracy of all wastewater compliance and process control samples.
Collects biological samples of wastewater and biosolids from various treatment stages and performs compliance and process control analyses such as: biochemical oxygen demand, COD, pH, total and settleable solids, fecal coliform and . Nutrient analysis will also be performed using a direct-reading spectrophotometer.
Assists with or independently performs tasks common to the operation and maintenance of an advanced secondary Wastewater Treatment Facility.
Manually and through computer-aided programs monitors and adjusts for complete Wastewater Treatment Facility operation.
Performs visual and operational inspections of various plant, mechanical and electrical equipment located outdoors and in various buildings and structures.
Performs equipment repairs on electric motors and pumps in the plant and assist at lift stations as needed.
Performs minor plumbing and electrical repairs. Safe and professional operation of backhoe and snowplow, and tractor mounted mowers.

Performs building and grounds maintenance using mowers, gas-operated tools, power and hand tools, and hoists.
Adjusts and repairs mechanical and process equipment and performs other related operational duties.
Accurately and legibly records equipment and instrument data in a format as needed.
Works with Sewer Department on maintenance and operation of the wastewater collection system if needed.
Troubleshoots and/or repairs valves, Ultra Violet components and treatment plant equipment as needed.
Cleans the treatment structures, basins and buildings on a routine schedule. Required to meet or exceed mandated water quality standards, 365 days per year
Collects and prepares reporting data on daily and monthly forms to be submitted to Washington State Dept. of Ecology.
Under the direction of the Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Ill/Operator In Charge, may assist in purchasing and inventory control of the laboratory.
May at times, be temporarily assigned to act in the capacity of the Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Ill/Operator In Charge.
Assists with the Industrial Pre-Treatment if needed.
The employee will be required to participate in on call rotation for SCADA monitoring and emergency call outs with a response time of 40 minutes or less.
Other duties may apply.

QUALIFICATIONS

A. Knowledge of:

- Wastewater treatment principals and procedures
- Wastewater Treatment Facility operation and process control
- Mechanical equipment preventative maintenance
- The safe and effective use of a variety of hand and gas-powered tools.
- Perform tasks requiring physical strength, agility, and coordination under a variety of weather conditions.
- The use of computers with basic knowledge of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) applications.
- Safety practices relating to wastewater treatment plant hazards, including confined space entry hazards, and the safe handling of mechanical and electrical equipment with Lock out tag out procedures.

B. Ability to:

Follow written and oral instructions.
Express oneself clearly and concisely, orally, and in writing.
Maintain an effective working relationship with department employees, other City departments, community officials, and citizens.
Be respectful and courteous to customers and City personnel.
Be a team player that helps the organization to meet its goals and standards.

Represent the City and maintain the trust of its residents and demonstrate honest and ethical behavior.
Work in a noisy environment and perform manual labor.

C. Education and Training:

High school graduation or equivalent
Valid Washington State Motor Vehicle Operator's license and a driving record free from serious or frequent traffic violations.
Two-year college degree or equivalent (May substitute work experience).
Would prefer two years sewer operation and maintenance experience.
Obtain a Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator's level 2 certification from Ecology within 12 months of employment. (We reserve the right to hire with the intent of employee receiving a level 1 certification within 12 months and level 2 within 24 months if necessary.)
Must possess high level of competency in performing mathematical calculations using units of weight, measurement, volume and distance, calculating flow rates, clarifier and basin loadings and dilution calculations.
Current First-Aid/CPR or ability to get certified upon being hired.
Required to have a series of vaccines for protection against typhoid, tetanus, diphtheria and hepatitis A & B.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment will consist mostly of a balance of indoor and outdoor work. Indoor work is comprised of building maintenance, lab analysis and computer operations. Examples of work performed outdoors consist of cleaning and maintenance in various areas of the plant, operations, cleaning clarifiers, selector tanks, aeration basin, mowing, and plowing. Risk associated with this position include duties that are performed in close proximity to, or handling of, human waste and debris removed from the head-works bar screen, wastewater samples and the cleaning of treatment structures, all which contain disease causing organisms. This position also requires the position to be in confined and contaminated spaces and to be working on edges of structures with a potential for drowning or injury. Other potential risks are from exposure to the environment heat and cold. There is significant risk of injury or disease from the use of acids/caustic chemicals while testing or chemicals introduced into the influent wastewater from the public.

While performing the duties of the job, the employee is regularly required to walk; use hands and fingers to handle or feel objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is regularly required to climb, balance, twist, or lift. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 100 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus. Employee occasionally is required to stand at lab counter for extended periods of time.

The noise level in the work environment is moderate with occasional exposure to loud noises.

BENEFITS

Qualified employees are eligible for benefits the first of the month after hire date.

MEDICAL: The City currently offers two Medical Benefit Plans, Asuris Northwest Health Preferred Provider Plan (PPO) and Kaiser Permanente. Both are administered through the Association of Washington Cities (AWC). The City pays up to $1,373.00 for employee and dependent medical coverage.

DENTAL: Currently, the City offers two Benefit Dental Plans. One is through Washington Dental Service and the other is Willamette Dental. The City pays for the employees’ premium and the employee pays for their spouse and dependents if they choose that coverage.
VISION: Provided by VSP.

AFLAC: The City offers its employees the opportunity to purchase AFLAC products through a payroll deduction plan. The entire cost is paid by the employee.

RETIREMENT: All retirement plans are through the State of Washington Department of Retirement Systems (DRS)

- Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) is a plan choice retirement plan (PERS 2 or PERS 3).
- Employees have available a Deferred Compensation Program (DCP). Contributions may be made by the employee to the Plan and deducted from the employee’s paycheck.

HRA VEBA: The City offers to pay $500.00 monthly toward dependent Medical or Dental coverage through the VEBA program. If the employee does not have dependent coverage, then the money is put into a VEBA account also on a monthly basis. If the employee wants reimbursement for Medical co-pays, Dental costs, Optical costs, prescriptions or dependent premiums paid by their spouse, they may submit receipts to VEBA for the reimbursement. The employee may leave these monies in the account and use it in the future for retirement purposes.
$1200 yearly clothing allowance available for this position.

GROUP LIFE INSURANCE – STANDARD INSURANCE: The City pays for a $10,000.00 life insurance policy for each employee. The employee may choose to increase this amount for additional coverage. Any premium amount for coverage above the $10,000 is taken as a payroll deduction form the employee’s monthly paycheck.