Often times his work can be taken for granted. Each turn of a faucet, every
welcome spray from a shower head, the necessity of a toilet flush, all these
can be directly linked to the diligence of David Jacobs.

But he no longer operates in the background. He has been unmasked.

Jacob was named the Water Operator of the Year by the Oregon Association of
Water Utilities at the annual conference in March at Sunriver for his work for
12 water operations in the Mountain community.

“I wasn’t really surprised,” Jacob wrote in an email to The Mountain Times. “I
had a few clues.”

Rhododendron Water Association President Steve Graeper had asked Jacob to
sit at his table at the conference. This table was normally reserved for officials
of the organization.

“I happened to glance at the table holding the awards and from a distance I
could see the shape of name,” Jacob wrote. “I looked at Steve and he tried to
look innocent.”

Not only does Jacob conduct water operations for multiple systems, he also
owns his own water system – Brightwood Water Works.

“David Jacob, in any single capacity of the many jobs he is responsible for,
would be deserving of System Operator of the Year,” Graeper wrote in an
email. “The fact that he serves so many systems, and serves them well,
speaks volumes as the (his) qualifications.”

Jacob’s work has proved to be a major contributor to making sure the
Mountain community is recognized as having the best tasting water in Oregon.
Jacob was nominated for the award by the Rhododendron Water Association,
and he stayed with the flow while accepting his honors.

“I guess it was a feather in my cap and in the waters systems I operate,” he
wrote.