Santa Clara Valley Water District water operator salary, 2025

Santa Clara Valley Water District is a water agency in Santa Clara County. 48 people worked as water operators for Santa Clara Valley Water District in 2025. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $198,541, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary at Santa Clara Valley Water District?

Official pay range, water treatment operators1

$88,421 to $190,091

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

$198,541

average base pay $140,076

The largest group of Santa Clara Valley Water District's water operators (14 of 48) hold the title Water Plant Operator, with an official range of $113,152 to $144,934. Those who worked the full year earned an average of $190,975, $46,041 above the top of the range.

Water operators
48
37 of them worked the full year
Starting salary
$88,421
bottom of the Assistant Water Plant Operator I range
Median total pay
$190,065
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Average pay rank
3rd
of 300 California employers

What does each water operator title at Santa Clara Valley 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. Assistant Water Plant Operator I$88,421 to $113,152 · 7 people
    fewer than 5
  2. Assistant Water Plant Operator II$102,502 to $131,310 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5
  3. Water Plant Operator$113,152 to $144,934 · 14 people
    $190,975
  4. Senior Water Plant Operator$124,925 to $159,910 · 12 people
    $232,505
  5. Water Plant Supervisor$148,491 to $190,091 · fewer than 5 people
    fewer than 5

Water system operators

  1. Systems Control Operator III$124,925 to $159,910 · 7 people
    $233,768

Wastewater treatment operators

  1. Recycled Water Facility Supervisor$134,451 to $172,224 · 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 Santa Clara Valley Water District pay water operators more than other employers in Santa Clara County?

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

Full-year water operators at Santa Clara Valley Water District earned $41,464 more than the Santa Clara County average and $74,815 more than the California average.

Where does Santa Clara Valley 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

Santa Clara Valley Water District ranks 3rd of 300, above the middle employer.

Santa Clara Valley Water District
$50k$100k$150k$200k

Middle employer: $116,210

The 5 employers in Santa Clara County

Santa Clara Valley Water District ranks 1st of 5, above the middle employer.

Santa Clara Valley Water District
$140k$160k$180k$200k

Middle employer: $148,209

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 Santa Clara Valley 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
2% at 62
the most common formula among Santa Clara Valley Water District's water operators
Employer pension contribution
$16,346
average per year
Health, dental and vision
$26,145
average paid by the employer per year

Questions about water operator pay at Santa Clara Valley Water District

What is the average water operator salary at Santa Clara Valley Water District?

Water operators at Santa Clara Valley Water District who worked the full year earned an average of $198,541 in 2025, overtime included. The middle water operator earned $190,065: half earned more, half less. The official pay range across its water operator titles runs from $88,421 to $190,091.

How much overtime do water operators at Santa Clara Valley Water District earn?

Full-year water operators were paid an average of $41,826 in overtime in 2025. The middle one was paid $33,852: a few people with a lot of overtime pull the average up.

What pension do water operators at Santa Clara Valley Water District get?

The most common pension formula among Santa Clara Valley Water District's water operators is 2% at 62, as reported by the agency. The employer paid an average of $16,346 a year into the pension plan.

More salaries in Santa Clara County

Sources for the Santa Clara Valley Water District figures

Every person who held a water operator position at Santa Clara Valley 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 Santa Clara Valley Water District.

How we read the data