Job Openings & Employment

General Description

This position performs skilled work in the operation of the Wastewater Treatment Plant,
including, but not limited to the collection and control of flow, laboratory analysis, and the
processing and discharge of effluent. 

Essential Job Functions

• Controls biological processing and wastewater flow and observes influent for abnormalities in
  order, color, septicity, etc. and high/low water flows.
• Performs a variety of daily tasks including, but not limited to, cleaning screens, recording
  pressure readings and elapsed equipment running time, measuring and recording sludge
  blankets, and conducting routine and preventative maintenance and repair of equipment,
  building, and grounds, and daily routine cleaning.
• Checks pumps, valves, and electric motors for operational efficiency.
• Adjusts chemical feed rates, flow distribution, and air flow and replenishes chemical supplies,
  etc. as dictated by laboratory data and operational conditions.
• Assists in the interpretation of laboratory data to determine the best possible operational
  conditions to product a quality effluent.
• Participates in the removal of sludge, which involves the operation of the belt filter presses
  for sludge dewatering, driving a heavy truck and agricultural equipment for sludge disposal,
  record keeping and complying with State requirements for safe sludge disposal.
• Performs skilled water pollution control laboratory testing and analysis, collects samples and
  identifies concentrations of chemical physical or biological characteristics, and gathers and
  tests wastewater samples for plant efficiency reports in accordance with Local, State, and
  Federal requirements.
• Trains to assist in the control of the Wastewater Treatment Plant Septage Facility, which
  includes the receiving and disposal of septage, monitoring of septage, and maintenance of
  related equipment.
• Trains non-certified operators in acceptable laboratory methods and procedures, safe work
  practices, and plant operating procedures.
• Interfaces with the Treatment Plant computer operated Supervisory Control and Data
  Acquisition (SCADA) software program as well as programmable logic controller (PLC)
  controlled panels for a variety of treatment works equipment.
•  Serves as a member of various employee committees as assigned.
• Keeps supervisor informed of unusual or detrimental conditions including equipment
  malfunctions and/or other problems.
• Keeps informed on current department practices by attending workshops and educational
  programs or reading specialized literature.
• Performs other related job duties as assigned

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

•  Knowledge of the methods, procedures and policies of the City as such pertains to the
  performance of the essential duties of Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator.
• Knowledge of principles and practices of operation, maintenance and repair of
  wastewater treatment facility equipment.
• Knowledge of the laws, ordinances, standards, and regulations pertaining to the
  essential duties and responsibilities of the position.
• Knowledge of the organization of the department, and of related departments and
  agencies.
• Knowledge and understanding of the occupational hazards and safety precautions
  required to perform the essential functions of the work.
•  Knowledge of terminology and related professional languages used within the
  department as such pertains to work responsibilities.
• Knowledge of how to maintain cooperative and effective relationships with intra- and
  interdepartmental personnel, as well as any external entities with whom position
  interacts.
• Ability to calculate, compute, summate, and/or tabulate data and/or information.
• Ability to perform subsequent actions in relation to these computational operations.
• Ability to provide guidance, assistance, and/or interpretation to others on how to apply
  procedures and standards to specific situations.
• Ability to operate and control the actions of equipment, machinery, tools and/or
  materials requiring complex and rapid adjustments.
• Ability to utilize a wide variety of descriptive data and information, such as operational,
  maintenance, and training manuals.
• Ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; ability to calculate
  decimals and percentages; ability to utilize principles of fractions; ability to interpret
  graphs.
• Ability to apply principles of influence systems, such as motivation, incentive, and
  leadership.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment to apply facts and principles for developing
  approaches and techniques to problem resolution.
• Ability to exercise the judgment, decisiveness and creativity required in situations
  involving evaluation of information against measurable or verifiable criteria. 

Education and Experience

High School diploma or GED and one year experience; or any equivalent combination of
education, training, and experience. 

Special Qualifications
Valid Commonwealth of Virginia driver’s license. Possession of a CDL license or the ability to
obtain.
Certifications and Requirements
The schedule below indicates the required certification ladder for continued employment with
the City unless and extension is granted per criteria identified in Operator licensing
requirements. Salary adjustments are delivered for each phase of career development and
licenses are issued by the Virginia Department of Professional Occupation and Regulation.
Waste Water Operator 4 – Hired employees (Waste Water Treatment trainee) must possess or
acquire a Class 4 Waste Water Operator license through the Commonwealth of VA within the
first 18 months of being employed.
Waste Water Operator 3 - employees must possess or acquire a Class 3 Waste Water Operator
license through the Commonwealth of VA within 18 months of being eligible to take the exam
after receiving their WO-4 license or being hired by the City.

Optional Certification-with Additional Pay Incentive
Waste Water Operator 2 – employees must possess or acquire a Class 2 Waste Water Operator
license through the Commonwealth of VA within 18 months of being eligible to take the exam
after receiving their WO-3 license or being hired by the City.

Waste Water Operator 1 - employees may possess or acquire a Class 1 Waste Water Operator
license through the Commonwealth of VA.
The employee is allowed to take the exam as many times as is necessary to pass within the
timeframes listed above. It is feasible that an employee could re-schedule and re-take a failed
exam on a weekly basis to provide ample opportunity to pass the exam within the timeframe.
The City will pay for the employee to take any level of exam a maximum of three (3) times. If
the exam is not passed on the third attempt, the employee will be responsible for paying the
fees associated with taking the exam each additional attempt until the employee either passes
or runs out of the time allotted. Once a level is reached, the employee is required to maintain
those certifications.

Additional Requirements
The work is heavy work which requires exerting up to 100 pounds of force occasionally, and/or
up to 50 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 20 pounds of force constantly to move
objects. Additionally, the following physical abilities are required:

•  Balancing: Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling while walking, standing or
  crouching on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces. The amount of balancing
  exceeds that needed for ordinary locomotion and maintenance of body equilibrium.
•  Climbing: Ascending or descending ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, poles and the like,
  using feet and legs and/or hands and arms. Body agility is emphasized.
• Crawling: Moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet.
• Crouching: Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.
• Feeling: Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature or texture by
  touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.
• Fingering: picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather
  than with the whole hand as in handling.
• Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.
• Handling: Picking, holding, or otherwise working, primarily with the whole hand.
• Hearing: sufficient to perceive the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or
  without correction; ability to receive detailed information through oral communication,
  and to make the discrimination in sound.
• Kneeling: Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees.
• Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally
  from position-to-position. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use
  of upper extremities and back muscles.
• Mental Acuity: sufficient to make rational decisions through sound logic and deductive
  processes.
• Pulling: Using upper extremities to exert force in order to draw, haul or tug objects in a
  sustained motion.
• Pushing: Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force in order
  to thrust forward, downward or outward.
• Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.
• Repetitive Motion: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers
• Standing: particularly for sustained periods of time.
• Talking: sufficient to express or exchange ideas by means of the spoken word including
  those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to
  other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.
• Visual Acuity: sufficient to observe violations of codes, to effectively operate standard
  office equipment; ability to read and write reports, correspondence, instructions,
  drawings, etc.; and to operate motor vehicles and/or heavy equipment, by both day and
  night.
• Walking: sufficient to move about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long
  distances or move from one work site to another.
  The City of Covington offers equal employment opportunities to all job applicants and
  employees. All employment policies and practices shall be free from discrimination based on
  race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, political affiliation, disability, sexual
  orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.