Senior Plant Operator; Water Division

This Position Is In the Water Division

Positions in the Senior Plant Operator classification in the Water Division may be required to work swing or graveyard shifts.

This position may be required to support dewatering, groundwater, surface water, and/or reservoir teams. The ideal candidate communicates well in a leadership role and is skilled in planning, organizing, and delegating required routine tasks, project related work, and troubleshooting efforts. They will be adaptable to changing priorities, as well as effectively coordinate with other support teams within the Department of Utilities.

They should have a thorough understanding of Standard Operating Procedures, and an ability to train any/all city staff with safety as a primary focus. The ideal candidate will have experience and be skillful using a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.

To perform skilled work and lead others in the operation of the City's drinking water treatment plants, wells, reservoirs and distribution system; combined wastewater control system, primary wastewater treatment plants and pumping stations; and to assign and direct the work of a plant crew.

The Senior Plant Operator is the responsible shift lead operator level classification in the Plant Operator series. Positions assigned to this class are expected to independently perform the full range of plant operation and monitoring duties on an assigned shift. This class is distinguished from the next higher class of Supervising Plant Operator in that the latter is assigned full responsibility for drinking water or wastewater operations, including the direct supervision, technical and functional oversight, direction and coordination of all shifts on a 24-hour basis.

This class is distinguished from the next lower class of Plant Operator in that the latter are journey-level positions not responsible for being the responsible shift lead operator.

General supervision is provided by a Superintendent and/or the Supervising Plant Operator. Responsibilities require the technical and functional supervision and lead direction of lower-level plant personnel.

• Lead and participate in the operation, monitoring, and control of the City's combined wastewater control system, conventional surface water treatment plants, and outlying pumping stations on an assigned shift.
• Participate in and direct the operation of plant equipment including chemical feed, computer, and telemetry systems, microprocessors, pumps, flow control gates, and plant communications systems.
• Plan the operation of the City's entire potable water treatment and distribution system for an assigned shift including anticipating water demand, hour by hour, and adjusting plant influents, effluents and reservoir filling and drawing to maintain pressure in the distribution system within given parameters.
• Plan and schedule water treatment plant activities such as filter backwashes, sludge pumping, filter washwater recycling and other related activities.
• Monitor water quality during treatment process through visual inspection and the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system and adjust influent flows, chemical dosages and filtration rates based on observations; take corrective action on problems identified including hazardous or toxic material spills that affect water supplies.
• Coordinate and maintain wastewater pumping operations in conjunction with the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant.
• Monitor and inspect plant equipment and respond to treatment process and equipment alarms.
• Monitor the condition and functional capabilities of automated and manual plant equipment and machinery; direct and perform minor preventive maintenance and recommend maintenance, repair, and replacement of plant equipment as necessary.
• Assess and gauge flow rates during inclement weather and determine when to direct storm water and personnel to various storage and disposal locations; determine timing and degree to which operations should be activated and deactivated.
• Perform and interpret standardized water quality tests such as chlorine residual, pH, turbidity, alkalinity, total suspended solids, settleable solids, chlorine residual, pH, dissolved oxygen and jar tests, and calculate and make dosage and related chemical feed equipment adjustments based upon the results from such tests.
• Perform efficiency tests on pumps, compressors,…