Where Have All The Operators Gone?
by Fred Hand
CRWA Wastewater Technician
A certified operator for your water and wastewater system is a necessity these days. Some systems have tried to operate without certification and have found the state's displeasure. A big problem exists when a system wants to hire a certified operator and can't find one, because no one wants to work for them, or there's simply no one available. Where have all the operators gone?
I know of an A wastewater operator in the prime of his working career who left his position at one of Colorado's larger wastewater plants on the western slope to start a new career with the high pressure gas line industry. Why'd he do it? He claimed it was for better wages. Even in the initial apprentice stage, he's making as much as he did before. What's he going to do with his A certification? He told me it would be too much hassle to renew it, so he's going to let it expire and not renew. Yes all levels of operators and potential operators are being attracted to other trades as this man was. Have you looked at the meager list of applicants for A and B level certifications lately? The levels of young people entering this field are also dwindling because they can find better pay elsewhere.
Low wages is only one of the reasons for operators leaving this field. Renewing certificates has become more of a hassle, and could also be affecting the dropout rate. Let's take an operator who has obtained an A certification each, in water, wastewater, and industrial treatment. He or she also has the class 3 certification in collections and distribution. From what I understand, in 3 years, when renewal comes up, he/she will need a total of 15 training units to renew them all. That's 150 hours of training at 10 hourslTU or, 19 - 8 hour days. That's a lot of time away from an important position that I'm sure they would have with those qualifications. It's especially difficult if they need to use their own personal time to do it. I agree that keeping up on new regulations and technology is important but looking at the list of available training, I'll just bet that much of that training will be spent in entry level seminars because that's mostly what's available at their location.
According to national statistics, within five years there will be shortages in most all the'hands on'trades and in ten years the shortages will become severe. The upcoming young graduates who are smart will gravitate to the trades that pay the most and restrict the least. One trend that is growing because of the reduction of available operators is contract operations, where one, or a group of operators operate multiple systems. These operators must have liability insurance to cover the risks they incur which drives up the cost of their services. As the operator shortage grows, there will be more demand for their services. Contract operation may be the vehicle that fills the void left by receding levels of operators.
However we are involved in this field, it is in our best interest to do whatever we can to improve both operator wages and working conditions, to attract new operators, and keep the ones we have. This will continue to provide each system the ability to provide quality drinking water to their citizens and keep our environment as clean.