Environmental Technician – Wastewater Pretreatment

The City of Sumner is recruiting one (1) Environmental Technician - Wastewater Pretreatment at Sumner's Wastewater Treatment Facility.

2025 Hiring Range: $38.42 - $42.95 per hour with growth to $45.41. 
The Environmental Technician is a full-time, Fair Labor Standards Act non-exempt, overtime eligible position. This is designated as a Safety Sensitive position. The regular work schedule for this position is Monday through Friday, between 8:00am to 5:00pm. Alternative work schedules may be available. Attendance at evening meetings or other off-duty events is not anticipated. The incumbent is not a Civil Service employee. This position is eligible for representation through the International Union of Operating Engineers.

The Environmental Technician will provide technical field and administrative support for either the City’s multijurisdictional Pretreatment Program, or as a function of the City’s efforts to comply with the state issued municipal separate storm sewer (MS4) permit.  

Under the supervision of an Associate/Assistant City Engineer, Associate/Assistant Engineering Manager, or WWTF Chief Operator, this position will perform inspections, sampling and monitoring of discharges to Sumner’s wastewater and/or stormwater infrastructure.  

About Sumner:
The City of Sumner’s vision is to set the standard of excellence for a progressive small city. In working to achieve that vision, Sumner prioritizes and celebrates diverse perspectives, life experiences and differences. The City actively seeks and encourages people with diverse backgrounds and characteristics to apply and all come together with a goal of continuing to learn and improve to better serve the residents, businesses and visitors of our community.  Sumner remains a traditional city of just over 11,000 residents with agricultural roots, known for decades as the Rhubarb Pie Capital of the World. At the same time, its compact, walkable layout aligns perfectly with progressive planning trends, as its classic Main Street becomes repurposed for boutiques, independent restaurants and daily services such as legal offices, financial advisors and doctors. While Sumner retains historic neighborhoods of Craftsman houses and an active high school right on Main Street, it also offers over 16,000 manufacturing and distribution jobs for companies such as REI, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Amazon.com, and Dillanos Coffee Roasters. With a downtown Sound Transit station with buses and trains, it is well connected to the Puget Sound region while striving to be a full-service city with the largest YMCA facility in the state of Washington as well as a link trail system that will connect the Foothills and Interurban trails.  Like the community, the city government is large enough to be professional but small enough to be creative. The City has won a variety of awards from the Governor's Smart Planning Award to recognition at the International Association of Chiefs of Police for its groundbreaking police work on victims' assistance. With a strong mayor format, the City has just over 120 employees who operate a cemetery, wastewater treatment facility, accredited police department, animal shelter, parks, full service public works and administration.

About Sumner's Wastewater Treatment Facility:
The Sumner WWTF is a regional facility serving both the City of Sumner and the City of Bonney Lakes sewer systems. The facility recently completed a major upgrade in 2015 increasing its rated flow capacity to 6.10 MGD and increasing its facility loading capacity for 5-Day Biochemical Oxygen Demand to 10,900 lb. /day and Total Suspended Solids to 12,660 lb. /day. The influent headworks includes flow measuring and sampling on both city wastewater influent loadings. Flow then travels to primary clarifiers followed by aeration basins. The aeration basins have selector zones and are operated using a modified MLE process. The aeration basins are followed by secondary clarifiers and finally UV disinfection of the effluent. Wasted sludge is thickened using a Dissolved Air Flotation thickener (DAFT).The generated biosolids are processed thru anaerobic digestion with final treatment through an indirect dryer producing Exceptional Quality Class "A" Biosolids. Biosolids are given away to the public from on-site locations within the plant or delivered in bulk to sites throughout the region. The WWTF is located between the Puyallup and White Rivers and due to the flood potential is surrounded by a floodwall to protect the facility.
 
In addition to the WWTF, the staff also service sixteen sewage lift stations throughout the City of Sumner. Fourteen of the lift stations are submersible pump stations and two are drywell wetwell stations. The City of Bonney Lake services its own lift stations. Most sewage lift stations have flow measuring devices and generators and have been upgraded or replaced within the past 10 years. The sewer system is supported by a SCADA operating system as is the WWTF.

The job duties and responsibilities represented in this job description in no way imply that these are the only duties to be performed. Employees occupying the position will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by a supervisor. While requirements may be representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills and skills and abilities to perform this job successfully, the employee will possess the abilities or aptitudes to perform each duty with advanced proficiency.

Examples of general duties include: 

• Operates and maintains sampling equipment (samplers, flow meters, computers, etc) to monitor discharges to wastewater and/or stormwater infrastructure.
• Provides technical assistance to the public on a variety of stormwater or wastewater utility issues.
• Ensures compliance with city ordinances through consistent and impartial inspections.
• Provides Best Management Practices (BMP’s) and other water quality compliance assistance to businesses, public and other agencies.
• Responds to inquiries and requests from businesses, public and other agencies by providing information and assistance on waste reduction, pollution prevention and toxic reductions through meetings, newsletters and other messaging.
• Reviews and responds to complaints from the public.
• Participates in various trainings and meetings to stay updated on water quality regulations (i.e. webinars, in-person workshops, etc).
• Assists with progress reports and financial statements.
• Performs other duties as assigned. 

Examples of typical duties for the Environmental Technician - Wastewater Pretreatment include:

• Implements policies, procedures, and program requirements in accordance with an approved, multijurisdictional pretreatment program.
• Performs on-site non-domestic waste inspection and reporting.
• Provides technical support to customers and non-domestic wastewater treatment facilities.
• Performs specialized field analysis on a routine basis throughout the wastewater collection system, implements, and maintains reports, and pretreatment records to include chain of custody records of all field sampling.
• Identifies non-compliance issues with customers and communicates such issues to appropriate entities.
• Inspects wastewater pretreatment facilities to include but not limited to grease traps, grease interceptors and oil water separators throughout the city.
• Identifies, inspects and monitors all non-domestic customers, warehouses, and other facilities for compliance with pretreatment regulations.
• Performs and/or oversees sampling and sampling records of commercial and industrial users.
• Investigates the source or sources of toxic or non-compatible discharges to the wastewater system.

Education and Experience
Any combination of experience and education which provides the applicant with the listed necessary knowledge, skills and abilities will be considered.
Any combination equivalent to the following criteria:

• Associates degree in environmental science, engineering or related field;
• Two (2) years related experience with stormwater or wastewater utility inspections, permitting, or pretreatment and other related environmental programs.

Prior training and knowledge of wastewater pretreatment regulations, Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) management or stormwater source control BMPs and hazardous waste regulations preferred. 
Must have completed or have the ability to complete within one year of hire

• Pretreatment Facility Inspection Course
• OSHA 24-hour HAZWOPER training.

Training and on-the-job experience to obtain Wastewater Treatment Plan Operator in Training Certification.
Must hold a valid Washington State driver's license with a driving record free from serious or frequent violations.

Necessary Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Knowledge of:

• Relevant federal, state, codes, and local standards and procedures applicable to municipal wastewater, stormwater and industrial pretreatment;
• Terminology, methods, practices and techniques of stormwater management, municipal wastewater treatment and / or pretreatment program regulations;
• Testing and sampling equipment, tools, and laboratory testing apparatus;
• Modern methods and techniques used in the design, construction, and inspection of stormwater and wastewater pretreatment facilities;
• Business English, spelling, grammar and punctuation; 
• Safety laws and regulations;
• Computer software including MS products and CAD. 

Ability to:

• Read and interpret engineering plans, maps, drawings, surveys, lab reports, and other technical documents;
• Understand details and specifications;
• Interpret, apply, and explain laws, codes, regulations, policies and procedures;
• Perform duties independently while applying reasonable and appropriate discretion.
• Uniformly and accurately inspect wastewater and stormwater infrastructure facilities to determine compliance with city ordinances and policies;
• Learn and use specialized stormwater and wastewater pretreatment inspection software 
• Communicate effectively, orally and in writing;
• Present technical material in a clear and concise manner to various groups;  Use of interpersonal skills with tact, patience and courtesy;
• Independently prioritize and schedule workload, site visits, inspections and meetings;  Meet schedules and time lines
• Perform field inspections on stormwater and wastewater pretreatment facilities and infrastructure;
• Ensure compliance with City ordinances with consistency and impartiality;  Prepare clear and concise correspondence and written materials;
• Provide excellent customer service by using a friendly, professional, and accurate customer orientated approach to a wide variety of customers, including: contractors, architects, business owners, government officials, general public and other staff. This would include in-person, written and oral communications;
• Maintain consistent and reliable attendance.
• Contribute to achieving the City’s mission, vision and values.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment:
Requirements outlined in this position description may be subject to modifications to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities who are otherwise qualified for employment in this position.  Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health and safety of themselves or other employees.
  
Description of Work Environment:
While performing duties of this job, the employee works both in an office environment (25%), and in the field in outside weather conditions (75%).  The employee occasionally works near moving mechanical parts and in high, precarious places, and is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, risk of electrical shock and vibrations.
  
Physical Requirements:
Positions in this class typically require: climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, reaching, standing, mobility, pushing, pulling, lifting, fingering, grasping, feeling, talking, hearing, seeing and repetitive motions.          
Heavy Work:  Exerting 50 to 100 pounds of force occasionally, and/or 25 to 50 pounds of force frequently, and/or 10 to 20 pounds of force constantly to move objects.

Selection Guidelines:
Formal application, rating of education and experience, oral interview and reference check; job-related tests may be required.
 
Background checks will include:
Social Security Verification: validates the applicant's Social Security number, date of birth and former addresses.
Prior Employment Verification: confirms applicant's employment with the listed companies, including dates of employment, position held and additional information available pertaining to performance rating, reason for departure and eligibility for rehire. This verification will be run on the past three employers or the previous five years, whichever comes first.
Personal and Professional References: calls will be placed to individuals listed as references by the applicant.
Educational Verification: confirms the applicant's claimed educational institution, including the years attended and the degree/diploma received.
Criminal History: includes review of criminal convictions and probation. The following factors will be considered for applicants with a criminal history:

• The nature of the crime and its relationship to the position.
• The time since the conviction.
• The number (if more than one) of convictions.
• Whether hiring, transferring or promoting the applicant would pose an unreasonable risk to the business, its employees or its customers and vendors.

The following additional background searches will be required if applicable to the position:
Motor Vehicle Records: provides a report on an individual's driving history in the state requested. This search will be run when driving is an essential requirement of the position.
Credit History: confirms candidate's credit history. This search will be run for positions that involve management of City of Sumner funds and/or handling of cash or credit cards.

The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.

Communication from the City of Sumner:
We primarily communicate via e-mail during the application process. E-mails from sumnerwa.gov and/or governmentjobs.com should be placed on your safe domain list to ensure you receive notifications in a timely manner. As a precaution, you may also want to check your junk e-mail folders.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

The City is an equal employment opportunity employer.  The City employs, retains, promotes, terminates and otherwise treats all employees and job applicants on the basis of job-related qualifications and competence. These policies shall be applied without regard to any individual's sex, race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, age, marital status, sensory, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation including gender expression and identity, genetic information, domestic violence victim or other basis prohibited by law. 

Persons needing assistance in the application process may call the Human Resources Office, at 253-299-5595 or email hr@sumnerwa.gov. If you are invited to participate in the selection process and need ADA accommodations, please notify HR before you are scheduled for an interview or testing.

Drug Free Workplace:

The City of Sumner is a drug free workplace. The City is committed to ensuring a safe and healthy work environment, free from employees whose job performance may be impaired by the use of prescription, nonprescription, over-the-counter drugs, illegal controlled substances, marijuana and alcohol. 

General Hiring Process Information: 

• Candidates must submit required document(s) as outlined in the job announcement in order to be considered. 
• Submitting a cover letter and resume is not required but is recommended. 
• Applicants must provide professional references with accurate phone numbers and accurate email addresses. References will only be contacted for applicants who progress past the interview process. 
• If multiple applications are received for the same candidate, only the most recently submitted, complete application will be considered. 
• Applications received by the review date will be screened for minimum qualifications and then submitted to a Subject Matter Expert to select which candidates will be invited to interview. Personally identifiable information is removed from the applications during the screening process.
• Applicants who are invited to interview will receive notification by email and are typically provided at least one weeks' notice prior to the scheduled interview date. 
• Applicants who are not invited to interview will be notified by email. 
• Remote interviews may be available for candidates unable to participate in person. Remote interviews are held through an online meeting platform such as Microsoft Teams. 
• Applicants who pass the interview process may be invited back for a second interview with the department leads or for a walking interview through the department. 
• Applicants who did not pass the initial recruitment process will be notified by email.

Salary : $38 - $45