Orange County Water District water operator salary, 2025

Orange County Water District is a water agency in Orange County. 26 people worked as water operators for Orange County Water District in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $131,619, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Orange County Water District?

Official pay range, water treatment operators1

$82,846 to $193,918

from the lowest entry salary to the top of the highest title for water treatment operators, the largest group

Average total pay, full-year water operators1

$131,619

average base pay $112,351

Water operators
26
24 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$82,846
bottom of the Plant Operator I range
Median total pay
$126,676
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
96th
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Orange County Water District 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

Water treatment operators

  1. Plant Operator I$82,846 to $103,563 · 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Injection Recharge System Operator$91,333 to $114,171 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Plant Operator II$95,888 to $119,870 · 5 people
    $133,434
  4. Senior Injection Recharge System Operator$105,747 to $132,184 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  5. Senior Plant Operator III$105,747 to $132,184 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  6. Lead Operator$111,030 to $138,778 · 5 people
    $152,692
  7. Chief Plant Operator$155,168 to $193,918 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Water system operators

  1. Assistant Recharge System Operator$91,333 to $114,171 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Senior Pilot Systems Operator III - Applied Research$105,747 to $132,184 · 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 Orange County Water District pay water operators more than other employers in Orange County?

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

Full-year water operators at Orange County Water District earned $2,958 more than the Orange County average and $7,893 more than the California average.

Where does Orange County Water District rank among California employers?

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

All 300 California employers

Orange County Water District ranks 96th of 300, above the middle employer.

Orange County Water District
$50k$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $116,210

The 19 employers in Orange County

Orange County Water District ranks 8th of 19, above the middle employer.

Orange County Water District
$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 Orange County Water District

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

Pension formula
Not reported
the most common formula among Orange County Water District's water operators
Employer pension contribution
Not reported
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$22,689
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Orange County Water District

What is the average water operator salary at Orange County Water District?

Water operators at Orange County Water District who worked the full year earned an average of $131,619 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $126,676: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $82,846 to $193,918.

How much overtime do water operators at Orange County Water District earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $10,177 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $8,210: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

More salaries in Orange County

Sources for the Orange County Water District figures

Every person who held a water operator position at Orange County Water District 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 Orange County Water District.

How we read the data