SOC 2020 · 8134
Water and sewerage plant operatives
Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations from
Skilled Worker
Not eligible
No Skilled Worker route through this code.
Salary floor
£41,700
The general threshold, £41,700, is the higher of the two.
Shortage lists
Not listed
This code is on neither the Immigration Salary List nor the Temporary Shortage List.
What this occupation actually pays
ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, full-time gross annual pay.
- UK pay for this occupation
View these figures as a table
| Percentile | Pay |
|---|---|
| 25th | £31,577 |
| 50th | £39,690 |
| 75th | £46,183 |
| Region | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK 2025 | — | £31,577 | £39,690 | £46,183 | — |
| East 2025 | — | — | £36,450 | — | — |
| East Midlands 2025 | — | — | £42,262 | — | — |
| North West 2025 | — | — | £38,044 | — | — |
| Scotland 2025 | — | — | £40,046 | — | — |
| South East |
Job titles in this code
What the work involves
Water and sewerage plant operatives operate valves to control water supplies in mains and pipelines, attend screening, filtering, water purifying and sedimentation plant, clear any blockages and patrol and maintain sewerage systems.
Typical tasks
attends water filtration and purification plant, monitors chemical treatment and regulates treatment of water supply within strict guidelines
opens and closes valves to regulate quantity and pressure of water and reports defective valves or abnormal water pressure
stops water supply in an emergency and informs consumers likely to be affected
regulates flow of raw sewage into screening plant, releases screened sewage and regulates its flow into detritus pits, sedimentation tanks and filtration beds
cleans out screen compartments, sedimentation tanks and filtration beds manually or using mechanical scraper
patrols sections of sewer, examines for any blockages or gas releases and clears blockages by flushing or by using boring rods
digs trench and assists pipe layers to lay, renew or repair sewerage pipes
Entry routes and qualifications
There are no formal academic entry requirements. Training is provided Off and on-the-job. NVQs/ SVQs in Operating Process Plant are available at level 2.