Hydroelectric Power Plant Operator II

An immediate position is available at East Bay Municipal Utility District’s (EBMUD) Pardee Center, located at Pardee Reservoir near Valley Springs, approximately 85 miles from the EBMUD headquarters in Oakland. The Hydroelectric Power Plant Operator II (HPPO) operates hydroelectric power plants and associated facilities under general direction, monitoring and responding to alarms locally and from remote locations through a SCADA system for hydroelectric generators, raw water pumping plants, raw water aqueducts, river flow controls, water and wastewater treatment systems, and equipment.

HPPOs work a rotating combination of day and night shifts.

• Inspecting and performing preventive and minor maintenance on hydropower equipment and aqueduct raw water systems.
• Operating a computerized control center to monitor and control reservoirs, river flows, aqueducts, water and wastewater treatment plants, chemical plants, and related waterways, relative to flows, pressures, levels, voltages, electrical loads, lake levels, river flows, chemical residuals, and equipment operating conditions.
• Administering electro‑mechanical lockout/tagout procedures, including writing and hanging clearances, issuing danger tags, and switching where required.
• Regulating electrical loads, river flows, aqueduct flows, and storage conditions as required.
• Monitoring overall plant conditions through local instrumentation and walk‑through inspections, identifying and reporting irregularities to the supervisor, and creating and updating work orders in a computerized maintenance management system.
• Responding to emergency situations by performing emergency equipment repair, first aid, calling out designated standby supervisors or other standby staff, and testing emergency equipment including emergency generators.
• Maintaining accurate operating records, including electronic logs, electrical generation and ISO reports, and recording and inputting meteorological data from field instrumentation.
• Ensuring that Pardee facilities are continuously supplied with electrical power through appropriate station or PG&E feeder switching.
• Answering, forwarding, and dispatching radio and telephone traffic entering the Pardee Area computer control center during routine operations and emergencies.

• Basic math operations (+-*/%)
• Operating principles of power generation equipment
• Basic electrical, mechanical, and hydrodynamic principles
• Operating principles of raw water supply system equipment
• Equipment layout, instrumentation, and functions, and principles of three‑phase electrical generation, transmission, and distribution systems
• Basic computer functions
• Safety rules, codes, and regulations
• Routine facility and equipment maintenance and cleaning methods

• Accurately read and record data from gauges and meters
• Recognize unusual, inefficient, or dangerous operating conditions and exercise independent judgment within established guidelines
• Follow standardized verbal and written procedures
• Use computer equipment
• Identify and resolve problems and take a timely, effective, and reasonable course of action in an emergency
• Perform work without immediate or detailed supervision
• Observe and accurately record operating conditions and produce verbal and written reports
• Read basic electrical station and system diagrams and plans

The ideal candidate will have experience with hydropower operations and electrical switching operations.

The Hydroelectric Power Plant Operator II salary range starts at $10,503 per month, increasing to $11,028, $11,579, and $12,158 after 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively.

EBMUD is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, gender identity (including transgender status), gender expression, marital or registered domestic partnership status, age for individuals age forty or older, national origin, ancestry, disability (mental or physical), medical condition (cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, sexual orientation, military and veterans status, family or medical leave status, pregnancy…