Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
Occupation · SOC 47-4071.00
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.
Also called: Drain Cleaner · Septic Pump Truck Driver · Septic Tank Service Technician · Service Technician · Drain Technician · Public Works Technician · Septic Cleaner · Sewer Bricklayer · Aseptic Tech (Aseptic Technician) · Drain and Sewer Technician · Electric Sewer Cleaning Machine Operator · High Reach Operator
Job family: Construction and Extraction Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-47-4071-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Growing fast employment outlook (+7.6% by 2034)
- 2,900 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $49,140/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (68th); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (13th)
13th-percentile task overlap — yet about 2,900 openings a year (+7.6% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Low | 10th | -1.2 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 14th | 0.1 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 25th | 0.1 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.1), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.1). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Mixed signals. Today's AI/LLM studies show relatively low exposure for this job, but the older (2013) Frey–Osborne work rated it higher for computerization and robotics. Different eras, different technologies — the AI measures above reflect the current state.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.8 · 68th percentile among occupations · High
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Clean and disinfect domestic basements and other areas flooded by sewer stoppages. | 0.4% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Growing fast · +7.6% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 2,900 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 30,400 → 32,700 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners sits at the 3rd percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure eased from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
10% mean task exposure (2025)
3rd percentile of 427 placed occupations
−1 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Other Cleaning Workers · 9129 | 10% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 22 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Communicate with supervisors and other workers, using equipment such as wireless phones, pagers, or radio telephones. Core · importance 4.0
- Drive trucks to transport crews, materials, and equipment. Core · importance 4.0
- Inspect manholes to locate sewer line stoppages. Core · importance 4.0
- Operate sewer cleaning equipment, including power rodders, high-velocity water jets, sewer flushers, bucket machines, wayne balls, and vac-alls. Core · importance 3.9
- Prepare and keep records of actions taken, including maintenance and repair work. Core · importance 3.9
- Clean and repair septic tanks, sewer lines, or related structures such as manholes, culverts, and catch basins. Core · importance 3.9
- Measure excavation sites, using plumbers' snakes, tapelines, or lengths of cutting heads within sewers, and mark areas for digging. Core · importance 3.9
- Service, adjust, and make minor repairs to equipment, machines, and attachments. Core · importance 3.7
- Clean and disinfect domestic basements and other areas flooded by sewer stoppages. Supplemental · importance 3.7
- Locate problems, using specially designed equipment, and mark where digging must occur to reach damaged tanks or pipes. Core · importance 3.7
- Withdraw cables from pipes and examine them for evidence of mud, roots, grease, and other deposits indicating broken or clogged sewer lines. Supplemental · importance 3.7
- Ensure that repaired sewer line joints are tightly sealed before backfilling begins. Supplemental · importance 3.7
- Rotate cleaning rods manually, using turning pins. Supplemental · importance 3.6
- Install rotary knives on flexible cables mounted on machine reels, according to the diameters of pipes to be cleaned. Supplemental · importance 3.6
- Start machines to feed revolving cables or rods into openings, stopping machines and changing knives to conform to pipe sizes. Supplemental · importance 3.5
- Dig out sewer lines manually, using shovels. Core · importance 3.5
- Update sewer maps and manhole charts. Supplemental · importance 3.4
- Cover repaired pipes with dirt, and pack backfilled excavations, using air and gasoline tampers. Supplemental · importance 3.4
- Cut damaged sections of pipe with cutters, remove broken sections from ditches, and replace pipe sections, using pipe sleeves. Supplemental · importance 3.4
- Requisition or order tools and equipment. Supplemental · importance 3.3
- Break asphalt and other pavement so that pipes can be accessed, using airhammers, picks, and shovels. Supplemental · importance 3.1
- Tap mainline sewers to install sewer saddles. Supplemental · importance 2.9
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Pump, clean, and repair septic tanks, sewer lines, or related structures such as manholes, culverts, and catch basins.
Work activities
- Drive trucks or truck-mounted equipment.
- Communicate with other construction or extraction personnel to discuss project details.
- Record operational or environmental data.
- Clean equipment or facilities.
- Inspect completed work to ensure proper installation.
- Inspect plumbing systems or fixtures.
- Install equipment attachments or components.
- Measure work site dimensions.
- Locate equipment or materials in need of repair or replacement.
- Maintain plumbing structures or fixtures.
- Operate heavy-duty construction or installation equipment.
- Maintain construction tools or equipment.
- Remove worn, damaged or outdated materials from work areas.
- Cut metal components for installation.
- Dig holes or trenches.
- Break up rock, asphalt, or concrete.
- Spread sand, dirt or other loose materials onto surfaces.
- Compact materials to create level bases.
- Order construction or extraction materials or equipment.
- Maintain mechanical equipment.
- Decontaminate equipment or sites to remove hazardous or toxic substances.
- Drill holes in construction materials.
- Edit documents.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.9 | |
| Transportation | 3.5 | |
| Mechanical | 3.5 | |
| English Language | 3.4 | |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.4 | |
| Mathematics | 3.2 | |
| Administration and Management | 3.0 |
Transferable skills
| Operation and Control | 3.9 | |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.6 | |
| Equipment Maintenance | 3.0 | |
| Troubleshooting | 3.0 | |
| Repairing | 3.0 | |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.0 | |
| Time Management | 3.0 | |
| Coordination | 2.9 |
Abilities
| Manual Dexterity | 3.8 | |
| Control Precision | 3.6 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.5 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.5 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.5 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.5 | |
| Multilimb Coordination | 3.5 | |
| Depth Perception | 3.4 | |
| Reaction Time | 3.3 | |
| Near Vision | 3.3 | |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 3.3 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.1 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.1 | |
| Static Strength | 3.1 | |
| Extent Flexibility | 3.1 | |
| Far Vision | 3.1 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.0 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.0 | |
| Visualization | 3.0 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.0 | |
| Trunk Strength | 3.0 | |
| Auditory Attention | 3.0 |
Essential skills
| Critical Thinking | 3.1 | |
| Active Listening | 3.0 | |
| Monitoring | 2.9 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Tools & technology
| Example | Category | |
|---|---|---|
| Intuit QuickBooks | Accounting software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | Hot technology |
| Route mapping software | Route navigation software | |
| Web browser software | Internet browser software | |
| Work scheduling software | Calendar and scheduling software |
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Preparation level
- SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Construction Trades . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| High School Diploma | 40.4% | |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 37.1% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 22.1% | |
| Some College Courses | 0.3% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 7.0 | |
| Conventional | 4.3 | |
| Investigative | 2.1 | |
| Social | 1.4 |
Interest areas
| Physical/Manual Labor | 6.3 | |
| Transportation/Machine Operation | 5.0 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 2.7 | |
| Engineering | 1.9 | |
| Construction/Woodwork | 1.7 | |
| Management/Administration | 1.4 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 1.3 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 2.2 | |
| Cautiousness | 2.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 1.7 | |
| Perseverance | 1.6 | |
| Stress Tolerance | 1.5 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $36,500 |
| 25th percentile | $42,700 |
| Median (50th) | $49,140 |
| 75th percentile | $60,320 |
| 90th percentile | $73,670 |
| People employed | 29,050 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 16,640 | $47,540 |
| Construction · Sector | 5,280 | $50,860 |
| Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors · National industry | 1,980 | $49,120 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 440 | $60,740 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 160 | $38,630 |
| Utilities · Sector | 100 | $49,180 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 70 | $48,940 |
| Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors · National industry | 40 | $47,610 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | — | $47,010 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing · Sector | — | $39,070 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | — | $59,820 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 9.78× | 16,640 |
| Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors · National industry | 8.3× | 1,980 |
| Construction · Sector | 3.45× | 5,280 |
| Utilities · Sector | 0.92× | 100 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 0.32× | 160 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 0.22× | 440 |
Related occupations
Part of the Energy & Natural Resources career cluster.
- Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters · 47-2152.00 Compare →
- Pipelayers · 47-2151.00 Compare →
- Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators · 51-8031.00 Compare →
- Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters · 47-3015.00 Compare →
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General · 49-9071.00 Compare →
- Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment · 53-7061.00 Compare →
- Construction Laborers · 47-2061.00 Compare →
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators · 47-2073.00 Compare →
- Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers · 53-7072.00 Compare →
- Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining · 47-5022.00 Compare →
- Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door · 49-9012.00 Compare →
- Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas · 47-5013.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- High school diploma or equivalent · typical entry level
- Job zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Construction Trades · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 3rd percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners show 13th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 2,900 annual U.S. openings
- Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners rank in the 13th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 2,900 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+7.6%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $49,140, across about 29,050 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners show 13th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 2,900 annual U.S. openings • Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners rank in the 13th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 2,900 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+7.6%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $49,140, across about 29,050 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-4071-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-4071-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-4071-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-47-4071-00,
title = {Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-47-4071-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.