California water operator salaries by employer, 2025

7,935 people worked as water operators for 606 cities, counties and water and sanitation districts in California in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $123,726, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary in California?

Lowest-paying employer

$53,897

Lemoore
City in Kings County

Average total pay, full-year California water operators1

$123,726

average base pay $101,686

Highest-paying employer

$209,366

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Water district in Los Angeles County

Water operators
7,935
6,080 of them worked the full year
Employers
606
356 with 5 or more operators, in 48 counties
Employer pension contribution
$14,173
average per full-year water operator
Health, dental and vision
$19,251
average paid by the employer per year

What stands out in California water operator pay

Which California employers pay water operators the most?

By average total pay of full-year operators, among employers with at least 5 of them.

Highest average total pay

  1. Metropolitan Water District of Southern CaliforniaWater district in Los Angeles County$209,366
  2. Alameda County Water DistrictWater district in Alameda County$208,245
  3. Santa Clara Valley Water DistrictWater agency in Santa Clara County$198,541
  4. Contra Costa Water DistrictWater district in Contra Costa County$185,412
  5. Santa Clarita Valley Water AgencyWater agency in Los Angeles County$181,692
  6. West County Wastewater District (Contra Costa)Sanitary district in Contra Costa County$181,073
  7. South San Joaquin Irrigation DistrictIrrigation district in San Joaquin County$173,660
  8. San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water AuthorityJoint powers authority in Merced County$171,199
  9. Sonoma CountyCounty government$170,560
  10. Mountain ViewCity in Santa Clara County$168,369

Highest water operator salaries in California: the top employers by total pay, base pay and starting salary

Compare water operator pay at every California employer

Official pay range across each employer's water and wastewater operator titles, and what full-year operators earned. Click a column to sort it.

Showing 1 to 25 of 356 employers, highest average total pay first.

Metropolitan Water District of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles CountyLos Angeles$209,366$57,376$80,018$138,46665Water treatment2% at 55
Alameda County Water DistrictAlameda CountyAlameda$208,245$45,089$119,440$159,69411Water treatment2.5% at 55
Santa Clara Valley Water DistrictSanta Clara CountySanta Clara$198,541$41,826$88,421$190,09148Water treatment2% at 62
Contra Costa Water DistrictContra Costa CountyContra Costa$185,412$9,881$102,336$195,85325Water treatment2.35% at 55
Santa Clarita Valley Water AgencyLos Angeles CountyLos Angeles$181,692$28,397$91,872$166,17611Water treatment2% at 62
West County Wastewater District (Contra Costa)Contra Costa CountyContra Costa$181,073$35,949$83,658$157,2438Wastewater treatment2% at 62
South San Joaquin Irrigation DistrictSan Joaquin CountySan Joaquin$173,660$25,084$86,403$163,38412Water treatment2.5% at 55
San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water AuthorityMerced CountyMerced$171,199$17,994$126,612$148,9558Water systemNot reported
Sonoma CountySonoma CountySonoma$170,560$15,369$115,084$153,02818Water treatmentNot reported
Mountain ViewSanta Clara CountySanta Clara$168,369$37,737$88,513$176,72612Wastewater collection2.7% at 55
Silicon Valley Clean WaterSan Mateo CountySan Mateo$167,559$23,145$100,256$171,41315Not specified2% at 62
East Bay Municipal Utility DistrictAlameda CountyAlameda$166,840$7,462$93,924$192,456133Wastewater treatment2.5% at 67
TracySan Joaquin CountySan Joaquin$165,176$23,889$85,332$138,48518Wastewater treatment2% at 62
Alameda CountyAlameda CountyAlameda$164,851$10,994$121,472$147,72222Water treatment2.5% at 67
San FranciscoSan Francisco CountySan Francisco$164,802$16,138$119,366$173,056228Wastewater treatment2.3% at 65
East Valley Water DistrictSan Bernardino CountySan Bernardino$164,332$31,481$86,216$148,05413Wastewater treatment2% at 62
PasadenaLos Angeles CountyLos Angeles$163,409$41,250$83,117$172,85910Water treatment2% at 62
Central Contra Costa Sanitary District (Contra Costa)Contra Costa CountyContra Costa$163,134$7,035$92,024$155,27930Wastewater treatment2% at 55
South Coast Water DistrictOrange CountyOrange$163,062$21,962$96,911$188,7536Not specified2% at 55
Calleguas Municipal Water DistrictVentura CountyVentura$160,203$26,072$74,004$140,4215Water system2% at 55
Union Sanitary District (Alameda)Alameda CountyAlameda$158,954$10,795$96,559$158,36939Wastewater collection2% at 62
Inland Empire Utilities AgencySan Bernardino CountySan Bernardino$158,715$17,125$69,719$138,33851Wastewater treatment2% at 62
San LeandroAlameda CountyAlameda$158,180$13,329$101,532$150,02411Wastewater treatment2% at 62
North Marin Water DistrictMarin CountyMarin$157,698$8,499$90,720$199,3687Water distribution2% at 62
Delta DiabloContra Costa CountyContra Costa$156,717$8,518$90,230$153,27519Wastewater treatment2% at 62

"Not reported" under total pay means fewer than 5 operators worked the full year, or the employer reported no pay range. Employers with fewer than 5 operators aren't listed.

Which California water jobs count as operators here, and which don't?

These figures count the people who run water and wastewater systems: jobs that need a state operator certificate, plus sewer crews. California certifies three kinds of operator. Water treatment operators hold grades T1 to T5, distribution operators D1 to D5,3 and wastewater treatment operators Grade I to V.4 Sewer collection has no state certificate. Employers set their own rules, often a certificate from the California Water Environment Association within a few years of hire.5

Counted

  • Plant and system operators. Operators at drinking water and wastewater treatment plants, and distribution and collection system operators. Plain titles like "Operator II" count only in a water or sewer department or district.
  • Operator titles that don't say water or wastewater (675 positions at 144 employers). Plain titles such as Modesto's Utilities Plant Operator II, San Diego's Pump Station Operator and Modesto's Senior Utilities Plant Operator, where neither the title nor the department says which side the job is on. They count in every total and average here, but not in the comparisons by kind of work. Half of these positions have an official range that starts below $76,794, and half a top above $100,266. Full-year operators in these titles averaged $116,166.
  • Sewer maintenance crews. They clean, inspect and repair sewer lines, the same work as sewer "collection operators".
  • San Francisco's stationary engineers at its sewage and water treatment plants. They are the city's plant operators: the sewage plant job needs a Grade I wastewater certificate or an operator-in-training certificate at appointment, the water plant job a T2 certificate at hire.6
  • Crew and technician titles where the employer requires a distribution certificate. San Diego's Water Systems Technicians (D2),8 Fresno's Water Distribution/Production Technicians and Specialists (D1 and D2)9 and Coachella Valley Water District's Domestic Water Technicians (D1).10 Los Angeles requires D2 for its Water Utility Supervisors.7

Left out

  • Water utility and service workers (1,852 positions). Crews that lay and repair water mains, service lines and meters. Los Angeles says a D2 certificate "may be required" for its Water Utility Workers;7 San Diego's job description asks for none.8 Crews whose titles cover both water and sewer lines are left out too.
  • Technician titles at other employers (196 positions). We haven't checked whether their job descriptions require a certificate.
  • Canal tenders, dam operators and watermasters (242 positions). They move untreated water, and no state certificate covers that work. Most work for irrigation and water storage districts.
  • General utility workers. "Utility Worker" is used for water crews, transit, building upkeep and more, and the title doesn't say which.
  • Mechanics, electricians and lab staff at plants, and managers and superintendents.

Every California employer with a water operator pay page, by county

356 employers with at least 5 operators. Employers without an average had fewer than 5 full-year operators or reported no pay range.

Questions about water operator pay in California

How much do water operators make in California?

Full-year water and wastewater operators in California earned an average of $123,726 in 2025, overtime included. The middle operator earned $121,018: half earned more, half less.

Which California employer pays water operators the most?

Among employers with at least 5 full-year operators, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has the highest average total pay, $209,366, followed by Alameda County Water District ($208,245) and Santa Clara Valley Water District ($198,541).

Which California employer pays water operators the least?

Among employers with at least 5 full-year operators, Lemoore has the lowest average total pay, $53,897, followed by San Luis Water District ($54,021) and Atwater ($60,374).

Do water treatment or wastewater operators earn more in California?

By average total pay of full-year staff: water treatment operators $140,689, wastewater treatment operators $134,462, water and wastewater operators $115,242, water distribution operators $110,078, water system operators $109,459 and wastewater collection operators $108,096.

Do you need a certificate to be a water operator in California?

At treatment plants, yes. Everyone who operates a drinking water treatment plant needs a state treatment certificate, and wastewater plant operators need a wastewater certificate or an operator-in-training certificate. In water distribution, certified operators must make the operating decisions. Sewer collection has no state certificate; employers set their own rules.

Who employs water operators in California?

Cities and special districts: water districts, sanitation districts and joint agencies that run a shared plant. Of the 356 employers with at least 5 operators, 177 are cities, 166 special districts and 13 counties.

Sources for the California water operator figures

Every person who held a water operator position at any point in 2025 counts toward the headcount. Pay figures use only people who worked roughly the full year: those whose regular pay reached at least 90% of the bottom of their official range. Total pay is gross wages before tax, including overtime, lump sums and other pay. Every figure covers at least 5 people.

  1. State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formulas and employer contributions as reported by each city, county and special district.
  2. Association of Bay Area Governments, Our Members: the nine Bay Area counties.
  3. California Code of Regulations, title 22, §63765 (treatment plant operators) and §63770 (distribution system operators).
  4. State Water Resources Control Board, Wastewater treatment plant operator certification regulations, California Code of Regulations, title 23, §3670.1.
  5. State Water Resources Control Board, Statewide sanitary sewer systems general order WQ 2022-0103-DWQ: staff certification is reported, not required.
  6. City and County of San Francisco, class specifications 7372 Stationary Engineer, Sewage Plant and 7341 Stationary Engineer, Water Treatment Plant, and the 7372 job announcement.
  7. City of Los Angeles job bulletins, Water Utility Worker 3912 and Water Utility Supervisor 3976.
  8. City of San Diego class specifications, Water Systems Technician I and Water Utility Worker.
  9. City of Fresno class specifications, Water Distribution/Production Technician and Specialist.
  10. Coachella Valley Water District, Domestic Water Technician I job posting.

How we read the data