Operators at drinking water and wastewater treatment plants provide one of the most valuable services to Americans. Operators work in vital jobs that we can't do without. They keep us supplied with a necessity of life 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Water keeps us alive and is delivered or treated in order to protect our health. This video includes interviews with two operators who talk about how they got into the field and what skills they use in their jobs.

Ordinary citizens and residents of a small, rural communities sometimes find themselves on the council or board that oversees the community's drinking water or wastewater system and don't know what the role involves. There are responsibilities in the areas of management, personnel, finance and operations that must be taken on as a member of the highest governing body of the system. There are federal and state regulations to follow, some of which are costly to comply with. Sometimes there are major construction projects to undertake and manage.