Clean and repair septic tanks, sewer lines, or drains. May patch walls and partitions of tank, replace damaged drain tile, or repair breaks in underground piping.
U.S. Workers
29,050
Median Salary
$49,140
10-Year Growth
+7.6%
Annual Openings
2,900
Typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
21 of 22 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
Communicate with supervisors and other workers, using equipment such as wireless phones, pagers, or radio telephones.
AI: Fully automatable - Sending, routing, transcribing, and managing worker communications via phones/radios can be fully automated by dispatch and messaging AI systems available in 2025.
Inspect manholes to locate sewer line stoppages.
AI: Fully automatable - Robotic CCTV crawlers and AI vision/analytics can inspect manholes and detect sewer stoppages end‑to‑end in many deployments by 2025.
Prepare and keep records of actions taken, including maintenance and repair work.
AI: Fully automatable - Recordkeeping of maintenance and repairs can be fully automated with mobile data capture, sensors, and AI transcription/workflow systems available today.
Withdraw cables from pipes and examine them for evidence of mud, roots, grease, and other deposits indicating broken or clogged sewer lines.
AI: Fully automatable - Motorized reel/crawler systems plus computer-vision inspection software can withdraw camera/cable assemblies and reliably detect mud, roots, grease, and related deposits by 2025.
Ensure that repaired sewer line joints are tightly sealed before backfilling begins.
AI: Fully automatable - Pressure/leak testing, sensor data and visual inspection systems under AI control can verify joint seals before backfilling without requiring manual confirmation.
Rotate cleaning rods manually, using turning pins.
AI: Fully automatable - Rotation of cleaning rods can be handled by motorized equipment under automated control, so AI-driven systems can fully replace manual turning-pin operation in most settings.
Update sewer maps and manhole charts.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can ingest inspection video, GPS/LiDAR and other sensor data to keep sewer maps and manhole charts updated automatically and accurately.
Requisition or order tools and equipment.
AI: Fully automatable - Procurement and requisitioning can be fully automated by AI-driven systems that generate specifications, compare vendors, create and submit purchase orders, and track deliveries via APIs.
Drive trucks to transport crews, materials, and equipment.
AI: Partial - Vehicle automation has achieved substantial progress for constrained routes and long‑haul scenarios, but transporting crews to varied job sites and performing complex on‑site maneuvers is not yet broadly fully autonomous.
Operate sewer cleaning equipment, including power rodders, high-velocity water jets, sewer flushers, bucket machines, wayne balls, and vac-alls.
AI: Partial - Operating a wide range of sewer‑cleaning machinery involves variable physical manipulation and situational judgment that has been partially automated or remotely controlled but not fully autonomous in most field conditions.
Clean and repair septic tanks, sewer lines, or related structures such as manholes, culverts, and catch basins.
AI: Partial - Cleaning and repairing septic systems and related structures require complex manual intervention, confined‑space work, and adaptability that remain only partially automatable as of 2025.
Measure excavation sites, using plumbers' snakes, tapelines, or lengths of cutting heads within sewers, and mark areas for digging.
AI: Partial - Measuring excavation sites and marking dig areas can be aided substantially by sensors, mapping, and AI but still typically require human placement/verification in mixed environments, so automation is partial.
Service, adjust, and make minor repairs to equipment, machines, and attachments.
AI: Partial - Diagnostic AI can guide servicing and some adjustment tasks, but hands‑on servicing and minor repairs to diverse equipment still depend on human technicians in most cases.
Clean and disinfect domestic basements and other areas flooded by sewer stoppages.
AI: Partial - Robotic/automated cleaning and disinfection systems and AI guidance can assist and handle some tasks, but messy, irregular indoor flood cleanup still requires human labor in many cases.
Locate problems, using specially designed equipment, and mark where digging must occur to reach damaged tanks or pipes.
AI: Partial - AI and sensor systems (e.g., GPR, camera robots) can locate subsurface problems and provide coordinates, but physically marking dig sites and final verification generally still require human action, so capability is partial.
Install rotary knives on flexible cables mounted on machine reels, according to the diameters of pipes to be cleaned.
AI: Partial - Tool changing on flexible cables requires fine dexterous manipulation in variable field conditions, so automation can assist but full unattended installation is not reliably achievable yet.
Start machines to feed revolving cables or rods into openings, stopping machines and changing knives to conform to pipe sizes.
AI: Partial - Starting/stopping feed machines is readily automatable, but changing knives to conform to pipe sizes often requires manual dexterity or human oversight, so only partial automation is typical.
Dig out sewer lines manually, using shovels.
AI: Partial - Manual shovel excavation in varied, constrained outdoor conditions is difficult to fully automate by 2025, though teleoperation and heavy-equipment automation can partially replace the work.
Cover repaired pipes with dirt, and pack backfilled excavations, using air and gasoline tampers.
AI: Partial - Autonomous earthmoving and compaction technologies exist in limited forms, but backfilling and tamping in confined trenches typically still require human operators or close supervision in 2025.
Cut damaged sections of pipe with cutters, remove broken sections from ditches, and replace pipe sections, using pipe sleeves.
AI: Partial - Cutting out and replacing pipe sections in trenches involves complex dexterous work and variable site conditions that currently allow only partial automation and frequent human intervention.
Tap mainline sewers to install sewer saddles.
AI: Partial - Tapping mainline sewers can be partially automated or assisted by remote tools and robotics for some conditions, but complex, variable field installations still require skilled human operators and judgment.
Break asphalt and other pavement so that pipes can be accessed, using airhammers, picks, and shovels.
AI: Not automatable - Breaking asphalt and pavement requires physical force, on-site dexterity and situational judgment that AI alone cannot perform as of 2025.