NJ Civil Service Navigator

CHIEF SEWAGE PLANT OPERATOR

Code: 01213 Local Competitive

Career Family: CHIEF

Chief Sewage Plant Operator is a competitive local-government title, the kind you test for: the exam result, not a hiring manager's pick, decides where you land in line.

What it takes is 5 years of relevant experience.

How to apply

This title is filled by competitive examination.

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Where this title is used

Chief Sewage Plant Operator is a local service title. It is filled by the counties, municipalities, authorities and other employers that have adopted civil service under Title 11A, not by State departments. Those employers set pay by ordinance or contract rather than from a State salary schedule, which is why most local titles carry no salary range here.

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Official job specification

The text below is the official specification published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The plain-language summary and analysis above are derived from it by NJ Civil Service Navigator. Source: the official specification page at NJ CSC.

Definition

Under direction, supervises, coordinates, and is responsible for work performed by operators engaged in operating and maintaining equipment at a sewage treatment facility; does other related duties as required.

Examples of work

  • Supervises work activities of employees.
  • Issues work assignments.
  • Enforces safety regulations.
  • Trains new employees.
  • Recommends action to be taken regarding promotions, discipline, and so forth.
  • Suggests changes in procedures, and provides working instructions to operators, repairers, and other skilled and unskilled workers.
  • Supervises and works with operators engaged in various wastewater treatment processes such as power generating, grit removal, pump and blower operations, and sludge filtration and/or incineration.
  • Supervises and works with employees engaged in various wastewater processes, and in maintenance and repair activities.
  • Monitors control panels and adjusts valves and gates manually or by remote control to regulate the flow of sewage into and out of system.
  • Starts and stops pumps, engines, and generators to control the flow of raw sewage through filtering, setting, aeration, and sludge digestion processes.
  • Maintains work logs and records pertaining to meter and gauge readings.
  • Collects sewage samples and conducts routine laboratory tests to determine Ph and impurities.
  • Ensures that proper amounts and mixtures of chemicals are fed into the equipment based on laboratory test results.
  • Cleans equipment and disposes of incineration of sludge.
  • Performs minor repairs to mechanical plant equipment which may include the replacement of packing in pumps or valves, replacement of bearings in motors and pumps, and lubrication of machine and equipment parts.
  • Inspects work areas to determine material and equipment needed.
  • May inspect equipment such as pumps, settling tanks, filters, and panel boards to detect malfunctions.
  • May supervise workers in the maintenance of buildings and grounds.
  • Will be required to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.

Experience

Five (5) years of experience in operating, adjusting, regulating, repairing, and maintaining pumps, valves, electric motors, and other electrical and mechanical equipment used in a sewage treatment plant.

License

Appointees may be required to possess a current and valid Public Wastewater Systems Operator License and/or a Public Water Treatment System Operator License of the appropriate class issued by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform essential duties of the position.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

  • Knowledge of various wastewater (sewage) processes; for example, power generating, grit removal, pump and blower, sludge filtration, or incineration.
  • Knowledge of equipment and function of various units of equipment found in a sewage plant such as panelboard, settling tanks, grit chambers, and pumps and valves.
  • Knowledge of procedures used in collecting samples of wastewater, how to test samples, and what adjustments must be made to chemical feed equipment as a result of these tests.
  • Knowledge of methods used in disposing of liquids and solids resulting from wastewater treatment.
  • Knowledge of safety to be observed while working with sludge, or in the presence of gases or fumes, or in a work area which has open tanks and manholes.
  • Ability to follow established procedures and standards and to make judgements and decisions within the frameworks of established practices and procedures.
  • Ability to give assignments and instructions to employees engaged in the operation, maintenance, and repair of wastewater treatment plant equipment and machinery.
  • Ability to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
  • Ability to read, write, speak, understand, or communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
  • Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.

Note

The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.