Water Operator I - IV

ABOUT US

The Water Division operates and maintains Rapid City's water collection, treatment, and distribution systems, provides metering and billing services, and partners with other divisions on capital and special projects, water system expansion, and the acquisition of water rights.     

Please visit the Water Division for additional information.   

The City of Rapid City offers fantastic benefits including employer-paid health insurance premiums, 6% employer-matching retirement, life insurance benefits, short-term disability, and generous vacation and sick leave time off.  Starting level and wage depend on qualifications and experience.  Check out the Benefit tab for a full list of benefits.This position is part of the AFSCME Union.  Applications received within the work unit will be considered first.  ABOUT OUR JOB

The Water Operator is responsible for performing a variety of semiskilled, skilled, technical duties and manual labor tasks in the operation and maintenance of the City’s water or wastewater treatment plants and facilities and specialized work in the operation of wells, booster stations and reservoirs.

Water Operator I:

•  Operates and maintains water reclamation facilities or water treatment facilities and related water production facilities. 
• Performs visual checks of facilities for equipment and/or treatment malfunctions and assists in repairing or correcting malfunctions. 
• Operates equipment, which can include the following dependent on division; pickup truck, lawn care equipment, forklift, dump truck, sludge tankers, backhoe and other related equipment. 
• Collects, records, and maintainsrecords, logs and additional plant performance information. 
• Performs maintenance, repair and janitorial duties as needed. 
• Interacts with and enter information into plant SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system. 
• Collects and analyzes samples and performsrequired testing.

Water Operator II: All above duties plus:

• Calibrates and make changes to various plant and field instrumentation. 
• Performs preventative maintenance on related equipment. 
• Uses additional equipment and other tools to fabricate or repair components. 
• May do plumbing, carpentry and concrete work. 

Water Operator III: All above duties plus:

• Troubleshoots and repairsrelated equipment and process failures. 
• Installs and sets up new equipment and machinery for proper running performance. 
• Performs changesto treatment processes and equipment to enhance performance. 
• Calibrates influent flow rate changes, airflow changes, adjustments of WAS and RAS rates and UV system.

Water Operator IV: All above duties plus: 

• Assists supervisor in developing and carrying out safety and employee training. 
• Serves as lead person in absence of supervisor. 
• Serves as the safety supervisor and becomes the trained competent person for confined space entry, scaffolding, fall protection, etc. 
• Serves on safety and other committee meetings as needed. Communicates committee activities to plant staff and supervision and represents staff feedback effectively in meetings. 
• Reviews design plans and drawings for water CIP projects. Ensures operations staff feedback is communicated to design engineer and project manager for incorporation into final project. 
• Acts as project coordinator between operations, engineers and contractors on water production and/or CIP projects.

ABOUT YOU

 We understand your time is valuable, so we encourage you to apply if you possess the following minimum requirements:    

Water Production I: 

• High school diploma or general education degree (GED) and
• Experience as required by the South Dakota Department of Natural Resources.
• Ability to obtain the South Dakota Class I Water Certification within 18 months of hire date.

Water Operator II: 

• High school diploma or general education degree (GED) and 
• Three years experience in Class I water operations or two years in a Class II or higher facility.
• Ability to obtain Class II Water Operator’s Certification within 18 months of hire date.

Water Operator III: 

• Completion of two years of college or vocation school majoring in engineering, environmental sciences, or related fields or 
• Four years experience including at least two years of experience in a Class I or higher facility; or Six years of experience, with at least three years at a class II plant or higher.
• Must possess a South Dakota Class III Water Certification.

Water Operator IV:

• Completion of a four year degree at a college or vocational school majoring in engineering, environmental science, or related fields and
• Four years experience including at least two years of experience in a Class III or higher facility; or Eight years of experience, with at least four years at a class III plant or higher.
• Must possess a South Dakota Class IV Water Certification.

Salary : $21 - $31