Water System Operator

THE CITY OF FOUNTAIN VALLEY

The City of Fountain Valley is nestled in the heart of Orange County. With approximately 60,000 residents, the City is only 7 miles from the beach with countless restaurants, entertainment venues, shopping centers, and Disneyland within a 15-mile radius of the City, providing many options for a rich work-life balance.

ABOUT THE ROLE 

The City of Fountain Valley Public Works Department is seeking a dedicated and skilled Water System Operator to join our team. This position involves performing a variety of skilled and technical tasks to ensure the efficient operation and maintenance of our water production facilities. The ideal candidate will play a vital role in monitoring, maintaining, and improving the city’s water systems to provide safe and reliable water to our community. Key responsibilities include:

• Using SCADA system to remotely monitor and operate the water system and sewer and storm drain stations and control systems equipment.
• Installing, repairing, overhauling, operating and maintaining water pumps and pump motors.
• Monitoring water production, storm drain pumping and sewage lift station facilities; checking pressure, levels and status of pumping, regulating and treatment equipment.
• Inspecting, maintaining and repairing facility equipment including large electric motors, natural gas engines, pumps, wells, tanks, controls and treatment equipment.
• Reading recorders, meters and gauges and making field computations for adjustments on equipment.

EXCELLENT BENEFITS INCLUDE

• 4/10 schedule (off Fridays)
• CalPERS retirement (2%@60 for Classic or 2%@62 for PEPRA)
• CalPERS medical HMO/PPO plan options, dental, life insurance, vision, and optional AFLAC insurance 
• Matching deferred compensation employer contribution (up to $225 per month)
• City-paid long-term disability insurance
• Generous leave accruals
• 11 paid holidays, including one floating holiday

Job Overview

In addition to the key responsibilities listed above, this position also performs the following essential duties:

• Operates, maintains, repairs and sets dosages on chemical injection equipment and conducts laboratory tests for water treatment.
• Operates, overhauls and maintains on-site hypochlorite chlorine generation and sodium fluoride equipment and appurtenances.
• Assists with training in operation on the production systems, storm drain stations, sewage lift station and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.
• Maintains and repairs supporting structures, vaults, fencing and sites and appurtenances at all facilities.
• Maintains pressure reducing, pressure relief and pressure sustaining valves and related pilot controls.
• Collects water samples, as required, for water quality monitoring, regulating, reporting and consumer requests.
• Assists in the control and repairs broken water mains, services and meters
• Assists with Edison efficiency tests on water pumps, including measuring capacity, total load and horsepower input.
• Prepares a variety of reports and maintains records.

Other Job-Related Duties

• Maintains Emergency Escape Breathing Apparatus (EEBA) at production sites and on City vehicles.
• May perform, as needed, technical oversight over Water Maintenance Workers and Temporary Laborers.
• Assists in the overhaul of large stationary engines.
• Disconnects and restores water services.
• Performs water customer service duties as assigned.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

This job announcement is not intended to include a complete listing of all responsibilities, knowledge, skills and abilities associated with the position. For further details, please click on the following link to access the full class specification for Water System Operator.

Qualification Guidelines

EDUCATION:

• High school graduation or equivalent.
• College-level coursework in Water Utility Science or a related field is highly desirable.

EXPERIENCE:

• A minimum of one year of experience in maintenance and repair of water distribution or production facilities, preferably in a municipal setting, is required.
• Any experience working in municipal water production operations is highly desirable.

LICENSE REQUIRED:

• Valid California Class “C” Driver’s License is required.

CERTIFICATION REQUIRED:

• Possession of SWRCB Grade II Water Distribution (D-2) Operator certification is required at time of appointment. 
• Possession of (or ability to obtain within the probationary period) SCWRB Grade III Water Distribution (D-3) Operator certification is required as a condition of employment.
• Possession of (or ability to obtain within the probationary period) SWRCB Grade I Water Treatment (T1) Operator Certification is required as a condition of employment.
• Backflow and cross-connection certifications are highly desirable.
• Maintain, at all times, the license and certifications required for this job classification

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT:

• Must be available for standby duty, holidays and weekends as assigned, and subject to periodic call-out during off-time hours to assist in emergency repairs.

NOTE:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by persons assigned to this job. They are not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties, responsibilities and skills required.

FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT DESIGNATION:

Non-exempt

COVERAGE UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION REGULATIONS:

Incumbents in this classification are covered under the Department of Transportation regulations for drug and alcohol policy as specified in the City’s Administrative Regulation No. 1051.

Recruitment Information

To be considered for this excellent opportunity, please complete and submit the online employment application and supplemental questionnaire. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of the application and/or supplemental questionnaire.   

To ensure timely and successful submission of your online application, please allow ample time to complete your application and consider having your profile created and/or updated before applying for the position. Once your application has been successfully submitted, you will receive an onscreen confirmation and an email. If you require technical assistance, please review the Government Jobs Online Employment Application Guide, or contact their Toll-Free Applicant Support line at (855) 524-5627. Please note that Human Resources is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by the internet connection, computer or browser used to submit the application. 

QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS RECRUITMENT SHOULD BE SENT TO HR@FOUNTAINVALLEY.GOV.

All employment offers made by the City are contingent upon establishing proof of a prospective candidate’s legal authorization to work in the United States and successfully completing all components of the pre-employment process which may include but is not limited to: reference checks, California Department of Justice (DOJ) criminal history check (Live Scan fingerprinting), post-offer drug test and post-offer medical examination.

The City of Fountain Valley is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer. Candidates with a disability who may need accommodation during the selection process must notify the Human Resources Department at least 72 hours in advance of the exam date.

Note: The provisions of this job bulletin do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provisions contained within may be modified or revoked without notice.

Please carefully review the list of required materials before submitting an application.