Water Treatment Plant Chief Operator pay range
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania · class code 97301
- Class code
- 97301
- Pay scale group
- ST 05
- Pay unit
- Year
- Bargaining unit
- J1
- State
- Pennsylvania
- The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania published pay range for Water Treatment Plant Chief Operator is $46,827 to $70,592 per year.
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Office of Administration keys this classification as class code 97301.
- This is the range the plan authorises, not the salary of any individual employee.
Class specification
The Commonwealth job specification for this class is published by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Office of Administration. The passages below are quoted from it as published, not paraphrased, and cut to their opening sentences; the full specification is the authority on duties and qualifications. It was last revised 01/08/1994.
What the state says the job is
This is skilled and technical work as the chief operator responsible for the maintenance, operation and regulatory compliance of a large and complex water treatment plant or plant with significant impact on community water service. A large and complex water treatment plant or plant with significant impact on community water service is defined as a water treatment filtration plant at a state park, state hospital, intellectual disability center, university or other institution which treats surface water from a lake, river, stream or similar source; or a large water treatment filtration plant that in addition to treating water for state institutional or facility use provides drinking water to communities and non-transient consumers.
Examples of the work
Controls, operates and maintains a large water treatment filtration plant utilizing a surface water source. Controls, operates and maintains a large water treatment plant at a Commonwealth facility that also provides public drinking water for neighboring communities. Oversees the work of Water Treatment Plant Operators, maintenance and trades personnel, and back-up operators in the operation and repair of the plant. Performs or instructs others to perform chemical, microbiological and physical testing of water samples to determine levels or presence of PH, chlorine residuals, total solids, turbidity, alkalinity, bacteria, lead and copper, nitrates/nitrites, volatile organic compounds.
Special requirements
Possession of a valid certificate issued by the State Board for Certification of Sewage Treatment Plant and Waterworks Operators for the class and type of water treatment plant operated. Possession of a valid Pennsylvania Driver's License.
Quoted from the Commonwealth job specification, read 2026-10-21.
Where this comes from
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Office of Administration publishes this figure in Classification and Pay Plan (online, current annual salary ranges). Every number on this page is read from that document; nothing is estimated, modelled or averaged.
The Commonwealth also links this class code to its own job title and specification. That page is the official description of the classification; this page publishes its pay range.
The listed pay scale is available in the Commonwealth's current ST schedule.