Senior-Level

Water and Sewer Systems Supervisor

Run the operations side of water and sewer infrastructure for a city or utility — plant operations, distribution and collection systems, regulatory compliance, crew supervision, and emergency response. As Water and Sewer Systems Supervisor, the work is technical, regulated, and quietly essential.

Career Level
Junior
Mid
Senior
Director
VP
Executive
Work Personality
E
C
S
I
R
A
Enterprisingleading, persuading
Conventionalorganizing, detail-oriented
Based on Holland Code framework
Job markets for Water and Sewer Systems Supervisors
Employment concentration · ~390 areas
Based on employment in related occupations
Mapped SOC categories:
BLS Occupational Employment Statistics
What it's like

What it's like to be a Water and Sewer Systems Supervisor

A typical week tends to involve operations review across treatment plants and distribution or collection systems, regulatory sampling and reporting, crew supervision and dispatch, capital project coordination, and response to main breaks, sewer overflows, or treatment process upsets. Compliance with state and federal water/wastewater regulations is non-negotiable.

Coordination spans operators across shifts, maintenance, engineering, environmental and regulatory agencies, and (occasionally) the public on service-related issues. The hardest part is often holding system reliability against aging infrastructure — pipes, treatment equipment, and pump stations all reach end of useful life on overlapping schedules. A water quality event can become a public health crisis.

People who tend to thrive here are operationally minded, technically grounded in process operations, and respected by experienced operators. If you struggle with the on-call cadence or the regulatory reporting load, the role can wear. If you find satisfaction in water that meets standards leaving a treatment plant and a sewer system that holds through a heavy rain, the role can be quietly important in ways municipal residents rarely notice.

RelationshipsHigh
Working ConditionsHigh
IndependenceHigh
RecognitionAbove avg
AchievementAbove avg
SupportModerate
O*NET Work Values survey
✦ Editorial — written by Truest from industry research and career patterns
Career Paths

Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.

$239K$179K$119K$60K$0KLower paying387 metro areas, sorted by salary level
All experience levels1
This level's estimated range
INDUSTRIES PAYING ABOVE AVERAGE
1 BLS OEWS May 2024 covers all Water and Sewer Systems Supervisors (SOC 11-1021.00), not just this title · BEA RPP 2023
* Top salaries exceed this figure. BLS caps reported wages at ~$240K to protect individual privacy in high-earning roles.
Exploring the Water and Sewer Systems Supervisor career path? Truest helps you figure out if it's the right fit — and plan your path forward.
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✦ Editorial — career progression and interview guidance based on industry patterns
The Broader Landscape

Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.

$47K–$208K
Salary Range
10th – 90th percentile
3.6M
U.S. Employment
+4.4%
10yr Growth
309K
Annual Openings

How this category is changing

$74K$71K$68K$65K$62K201920202021202220232024$62K$74K
BLS OEWS May 2024 · BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034

Skills & Requirements

Active ListeningSpeakingMonitoringReading ComprehensionCoordinationCritical ThinkingManagement of Personnel ResourcesSocial PerceptivenessActive LearningComplex Problem Solving
O*NET OnLine · Bureau of Labor Statistics
11-1021.00

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Federal data: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (May 2024) · BLS Employment Projections · O*NET OnLine
Truest editorial: Fit check, role profile, things that vary, advancement analysis, lateral moves, interview questions.