供水及废水处理设施系统操作员

Water Operator (低)说

This industry has many issues when it comes to funding, stemming from a rapidly shrinking revenue stream due to failing economics in large urban centers and rapidly draining federal and state funds for maintenance of water infrastructure.

The risk involved with automating these specific jobs is too high, and the cost too great to cover all cases and mitigate all the risks, meaning these jobs should be safe for the future. Paradoxically, despite their absurd importance, funding seems to always get leaner every year.

Although many facets could be automated, integrating these automated systems into the majority of dilapidated infrastructure would be too cumbersome to be a real issue.

Waddlebrow (适度)说

Most dosages, valve changing and treatments are already automated and we’re just babysitting the programs to ensure they run correctly

paul说

This job is already fully automated, most of the job is monitoring the systems to see if they're working properly, taking samples here and there, and ensuring the systems are working properly. Humans have a biased view to have ourselves as a last-line-of-defence, because in a sense we're also dealing with the health of an entire population.
I can see complications resulting from system upgrades or increasing efficiency by reducing workers and having people take on more responsibilities with more complex systems, but it will likely never be 100% automated because of our bias..

Christopher (低)说

Many functions in this industry could be automated -- and should be, in my opinion. But very few systems apply best available technology, and so many do not even fund basic infrastructure maintenance. I believe robots will replace or supplement operators very little within the next 2 decades.

Doug Flores (低)说

This job takes into account all aspects of being human. You have to listen to the equipment, see changes in the processes, take into account the smell of the wastewater and be able to make changes to the equipment to maintain safe effluent. The operator has to take samples and perform the appropriate tests to ensure quality discharge of the plant.

Sarah (低)说

I think wastewater treatment could be done partially be done by robots. I wish we have apps to check if the water is safe.