The City of Murfreesboro's Water Resource Recovery Facility reduced its Operations staff by 67% in a five-year period. Automation has been advancing in the industry for decades, but it has now reached a critical mass that genuinely threatens to replace a large portion of operators. Couple this with AI exploding on the scene and operator face a serious extinction level event. The rear flank of this sector has long been exposed by difficulty recruiting and retaining talent, neglected educational pathways and employee development, and lack of managerial, executive, and political support. All of these issues are solved by automation and AI. Decisions to switch to new technology is far easier than trying to influence the institutions and systems that generate employment candidates and are far bigger than municipalities. It may be inevitable that treatment plant operators go the way of the telephone operator who once numbered in the hundreds of thousands. As Murfreesboro has seen, change is rapid and the operations staff continues to shrink. However, Effective Utility Management (EUM) offers a lifeline. In order to survive, operators must pivot and evolve their roles and responsibilities to add enough value and return on investment to justify keeping them employed. Because the operators are responsible for one of their municipalities' greatest assets, the opportunity is there. What's been lacking is a comprehensive system that overhauls the position. EUM is that system. Its use has produced outstanding results. For example, 300% improvements in pollutant removal, dramatic increases in energy efficiency, and incredible reduction in chemical usage. Operators have the advantage of intimately knowing their plants, since each plant is at least somewhat if not outright unique. They are in excellent positions to leverage EUM and produce unmatched value. Ultimately, it's time for action or the future of operations will belong to robotics and software.