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Water Quality Technician

Ensuring the water we drink and wash with is clean and safe

How this role makes a difference

Did you know, on average one person uses 152 litres of water per day? Multiply that by an average family of four and by 28 million households and you get an idea of just how much water we all use. We need our water to be readily available – at work, in our homes and for our public services – and rely on our water being clean and safe.

High quality water comes from large water processing plants that need to be continuously maintained. This involves reactive and routine repairs on water treatment systems and the fixing of leaks. You could be the technician who processes and protects our water to make sure it never stops running from our taps.

The kind of work you’ll do

  • Following the procedures for regular checks
  • Carrying out tests on equipment, instruments and IT systems
  • Finding out the causes of faults and dealing with leaks in the system
  • Confirming the correct use of chemicals
  • Communicating to others the maintenance and repair works taking place
  • Working as a team to complete repairs
  • Maintaining records of the work carried out
Useful skills
Critical thinking
Useful skills
Attention to detail
Useful skills
Communicating complex ideas
Useful skills
Problem solving

What you can bring to the role

£ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Average salary per year *
£ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Average salary per month *

Data powered by LMI for all
*according to ONS

Future career opportunities

As you progress in your water quality career, you could become more focused on plant equipment and the water network, or become more involved in the science of treating water.

Depending on the path you chose, you might move into a specialised engineering role or spend your days in a lab, completing tests or carrying out research.

How to get into this role

There’s no perfect career path or ideal way into your dream job. But if you're interested in education and training options that could be relevant to this role, you might want to consider:

Schools and colleges each have their own career guidance plan and can provide detailed information, advice, and guidance on options and next steps.

A little more about the role

Exciting features...

Water processing plants are connected to water networks – miles of pipes that deliver water to different premises – and used water goes into the sewerage system. The pipe and sewerage networks also need to be monitored and maintained. As a water technician you’ll learn how water and waste water is managed across our whole country, how it connects to lakes, rivers, reservoirs and the sea, and how water resources are redirected around the country.

Other job titles...

This role can also be known by some other job titles including:

Water treatment process technician
Water treatment network technician
Water Distribution Network Technician
Water Distribution Leakage Technician
Waste Water Sewerage Technician
Waste Water Treatment Technician

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