Utah water operator salaries by employer, 2025-26

728 people worked as water operators for 84 cities, towns, counties and water and sewer districts in Utah in the newest year each employer has published (fiscal years 2025 and 2026). Those who worked the full year earned an average of $73,935, overtime included.

What is the average water operator salary in Utah?

Lowest-paying employer

$54,929

Price River Water Improvement District
Local district in Carbon County, fiscal year 2025

Average total pay, full-year Utah water operators1

$73,935

overtime included

Highest-paying employer

$121,888

Park City
City in Summit County, fiscal year 2026

Highest- and lowest-paying among the 15 employers with at least 10 full-year operators. The lists below include every employer with at least 5.

Water operators
728
505 of them worked the full year
Employers
84
34 with 5 or more operators, in 12 counties
Median total pay
$72,432
the middle water operator: half earned more, half less
Overtime
In total pay
Utah's file doesn't list it separately

What stands out in Utah water operator pay

Which Utah 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. Park CityCity in Summit County, fiscal year 2026
    11 full-year operators    $121,888
  2. SandyCity in Salt Lake County, fiscal year 2026
    5 full-year operators    $94,228
  3. Taylorsville-Bennion Improvement DistrictLocal district in Salt Lake County, fiscal year 2025
    12 full-year operators    $88,976
  4. Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake & SandyLocal district in Salt Lake County, fiscal year 2026
    9 full-year operators    $87,548
  5. Jordan Valley Water Conservancy DistrictLocal district in Salt Lake County, fiscal year 2026
    14 full-year operators    $85,131
  6. Salt Lake CityCity in Salt Lake County, fiscal year 2026
    118 full-year operators    $81,529
  7. DraperCity in Salt Lake County, fiscal year 2026
    5 full-year operators    $75,371
  8. ProvoCity in Utah County, fiscal year 2026
    25 full-year operators    $74,490
  9. PaysonCity in Utah County, fiscal year 2026
    7 full-year operators    $72,797
  10. St. GeorgeCity in Washington County, fiscal year 2025
    45 full-year operators    $69,148

Highest water operator salaries in Utah: the top employers by total pay and by county

Compare water operator pay at every Utah employer

What full-year water and wastewater operators earned at each employer, overtime included. Click a column to sort it.

Showing 1 to 25 of 34 employers, highest average total pay first.

Park CitySummit CountySummit$121,888fiscal year 202611Water treatment
SandySalt Lake CountySalt Lake$94,228fiscal year 20265Water system
Taylorsville-Bennion Improvement DistrictSalt Lake CountySalt Lake$88,976fiscal year 202513Wastewater collection
Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake & SandySalt Lake CountySalt Lake$87,548fiscal year 202611Water system
Jordan Valley Water Conservancy DistrictSalt Lake CountySalt Lake$85,131fiscal year 202617Water treatment
Salt Lake CitySalt Lake CountySalt Lake$81,529fiscal year 2026166Water distribution
DraperSalt Lake CountySalt Lake$75,371fiscal year 20265Water system
ProvoUtah CountyUtah$74,490fiscal year 202632Wastewater treatment
PaysonUtah CountyUtah$72,797fiscal year 202614Water system
St. GeorgeWashington CountyWashington$69,148fiscal year 202574Water system
Brigham CityBox Elder CountyBox Elder$69,136fiscal year 20258Water system
North Davis Sewer DistrictDavis CountyDavis$67,545fiscal year 202521Wastewater treatment
TooeleTooele CountyTooele$67,510fiscal year 202618Water distribution
HerrimanSalt Lake CountySalt Lake$66,406fiscal year 202617Water system
Cedar CityIron CountyIron$65,876fiscal year 202518Water system
LoganCache CountyCache$65,305fiscal year 20267Not specified
West JordanSalt Lake CountySalt Lake$64,585fiscal year 202638Water system
LehiUtah CountyUtah$64,584fiscal year 202617Water system
Spanish ForkUtah CountyUtah$64,048fiscal year 202623Water system
Washington CityWashington CountyWashington$63,760fiscal year 202617Water system
MidvaleSalt Lake CountySalt Lake$61,427fiscal year 20269Water system
SmithfieldCache CountyCache$60,530fiscal year 20267Water and wastewater
BluffdaleSalt Lake CountySalt Lake$59,507fiscal year 20269Water system
Eagle MountainUtah CountyUtah$57,513fiscal year 202613Water system
Price River Water Improvement DistrictCarbon CountyCarbon$54,929fiscal year 202510Not specified

"Fewer than 5": fewer than 5 operators worked the full year, too few for an average. Employers with fewer than 5 operators aren't listed.

How reliable are the Utah water operator figures?

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

These figures count the people who run water and wastewater plants and systems: jobs that need a state operator certificate or train toward one, plus sewer crews. Utah certifies drinking water operators in treatment and distribution, and every community water system needs at least one operator certified at the system's grade.3 Wastewater treatment plants and sewer collection systems are each rated class I to IV, and the chief operator and supervisors in charge must be certified at no less than that class.4

Counted

  • Plant and system operators. Operators at drinking water and wastewater treatment plants, distribution and collection system operators, and trainees. The file has no departments, so a plain title such as "Plant Operator" counts only at a district whose name says water or sewer.
  • Operator titles that don't say water or wastewater (17 people at 2 employers). Titles such as Price River Water Improvement District's Plant Operator, Logan's W/W Treatment Plant Operator I and Logan's W/W Treatment Plant Operator II. They count in every total and average here, but not in the comparisons by kind of work. Full-year operators in these titles averaged $58,388.
  • Sewer maintenance and collection crews. They clean, inspect and repair sewer lines and run lift stations, such as Salt Lake City's Wastewater Collection Maintenance Workers.

Left out

  • Water maintenance crews (202 people). Crews that lay and repair water mains, service lines and meters. Their titles don't name operator work, and the state requires a certified operator in charge of each system, not a certificate for every crew member.3 Crews whose titles cover both water and sewer lines are left out too.
  • Water and wastewater technicians (99 people). We haven't checked whether their job descriptions require a certificate.
  • Irrigation and canal workers (5 people). They move untreated water. Irrigation districts aren't counted.
  • Seasonal and part-time titles, stormwater crews, power and heating plant operators, mechanics, lab staff, managers and superintendents.
  • State agencies, universities and school districts. A few run water systems of their own, but they aren't counted here.

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

34 employers with at least 5 operators. Employers without an average had fewer than 5 full-year operators, or their records don't show who worked the full year.

Questions about water operator pay in Utah

How much do water operators make in Utah?

Full-year water and wastewater operators in Utah earned an average of $73,935, overtime included, in the newest year each employer has published (fiscal years 2025 and 2026). The middle operator earned $72,432: half earned more, half less.

Which Utah employer pays water operators the most?

Among employers with at least 10 full-year operators, Park City has the highest average total pay, $121,888, followed by Taylorsville-Bennion Improvement District ($88,976) and Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District ($85,131).

Which Utah employer pays water operators the least?

Among employers with at least 10 full-year operators, Price River Water Improvement District has the lowest average total pay, $54,929, followed by Washington City ($63,760) and Spanish Fork ($64,048).

Do water treatment or wastewater operators earn more in Utah?

By average total pay of full-year staff: wastewater treatment operators $71,452 and water system operators $67,590.

Who employs water operators in Utah?

Cities and towns, and water and sewer districts. Of the 34 employers with at least 5 operators, 27 are cities or towns and 7 are water or sewer districts.

Sources for the Utah water operator figures

Every person who held a water operator position at any point in the newest year each employer has published (fiscal years 2025 and 2026) counts toward the headcount. Pay figures use only people who worked for the same employer the year before, were paid at least 90% as much as in that year, earned at least 90% of that pay in the job's titles, and were paid at least $15,080, a full year at Utah's minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.2 Utah's file has no hours or start dates, so this is the closest sign of a full year. Total pay is the wages each employer reported, before tax. Utah's file has one wage figure per person with overtime inside it, so pay here is total pay and overtime can't be shown on its own. Every figure covers at least 5 people.

  1. Transparent Utah, Office of the Utah State Auditor: title, wages and benefits of every employee of every Utah city, town, county and local district, as each reports them for its fiscal year.
  2. Utah Code, Section 34-40-103, Minimum wage: Utah's minimum wage, the federal rate of $7.25 an hour.
  3. Utah Administrative Code, R309-300-5, certification rules for water supply operators.
  4. Utah Administrative Code, R317-10, certification of wastewater works operators: R317-10-5 (who must be certified) and R317-10-6 (facility classes).

How we read the data