Mesa Water District (Orange) water operator salary, 2025

Mesa Water District (Orange) is a water district in Orange County. 18 people worked as water operators for Mesa Water District (Orange) in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $137,655, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Mesa Water District (Orange)?

Official pay range1

$67,246 to $163,530

from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest water operator title

Average total pay, full-year water operators1

$137,655

average base pay $106,647

The largest group of Mesa Water District (Orange)'s water operators (6 of 18) hold the title Senior Operator, with an official range of $92,685 to $127,754. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $141,219, $13,465 above the top of the range.

Water operators
18
15 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$67,246
bottom of the Operator I - D1 range
Median total pay
$128,265
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
70th
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Mesa Water District (Orange) pay?

Each bar is the official range for one title, lowest first. The dot marks the average total pay of full-year staff in that title, where at least 5 people stand behind it.1

  1. Operator I - D1$67,246 to $92,685 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Operator I - D1 & T1$72,426 to $99,798 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Operator II$79,934 to $110,157 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  4. Senior Operator$92,685 to $127,754 · 6 people
    $141,219
  5. Water Operations Supervisor$118,622 to $163,530 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

official range average total pay, full year. "Fewer than 5" means too few full-year people in that title to show.

Does Mesa Water District (Orange) pay water operators more than other employers in Orange County?

Average total pay of full-year water operators: Mesa Water District (Orange) next to every employer in the county together, and the whole state.1

Full-year water operators at Mesa Water District (Orange) earned $8,994 more than the Orange County average and $13,929 more than the California average.

Where does Mesa Water District (Orange) rank among California employers?

Every employer with at least 5 full-year water operators, by average total pay.1

All 300 California employers

Mesa Water District (Orange) ranks 70th of 300, above the middle employer.

Mesa Water District (Orange)
$50k$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $116,210

The 19 employers in Orange County

Mesa Water District (Orange) ranks 6th of 19, above the middle employer.

Mesa Water District (Orange)
$80k$100k$120k$140k$160k

Middle employer: $131,027

Each bar counts the employers whose average total pay falls in a $5,000 band. The dashed line marks the middle employer.

Pension and health cover at Mesa Water District (Orange)

As reported by the agency. Contributions are what the employer paid per full-year water operator, on top of wages.1

Pension formula
2% at 62
the most common formula among Mesa Water District (Orange)'s water operators
Employer pension contribution
$10,636
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$13,334
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Mesa Water District (Orange)

What is the average water operator salary at Mesa Water District (Orange)?

Water operators at Mesa Water District (Orange) who worked the full year earned an average of $137,655 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $128,265: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $67,246 to $163,530.

How much overtime do water operators at Mesa Water District (Orange) earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $11,832 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $13,388: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Mesa Water District (Orange) get?

The most common pension formula among Mesa Water District (Orange)'s water operators is 2% at 62, as reported by the agency. The employer paid an average of $10,636 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Orange County

Sources for the Mesa Water District (Orange) figures

Every person who held a water operator position at Mesa Water District (Orange) 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. Averages lead; the median total pay is the middle person's, with half above and half below, and is less pulled by a few people with a lot of overtime. Every figure covers at least 5 people.

  1. State Controller's Office, Government Compensation in California, 2025: positions, official pay ranges, wages, pension formula and employer contributions as reported by Mesa Water District (Orange).

How we read the data