If you asked any American on the street, “Where does your drinking water come from?” they might mention the name of a water utility company or a local reservoir-- even a source as vague as rainfall. More likely though, you would be met by a blank stare, because, unlike 2.2 billion people around the world, access to safe drinking water is generally not a daily concern for Americans. For an example of what those around the world must face, just look to Mexico City, which made headlines in March of 2024 when it announced that the city was months away from running out of water for its population of 22 million.
Managing Forests Means Managing Water
That person on the street also is likely unaware that, for their benefit, the Forest Service manages 749 million acres of forest lands that provide water for over 180 million people. A perfect example of this important role can be found just outside of Portland, Ore., at the Timber Lake Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center Located within the Mt. Hood National Forest, Timber Lake has a Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant that is responsible for treating the wastewaters produced at the center. Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Brian Hickman is one of the Forest Service’s resource specialists whose career is focused on ensuring the nation’s access to clean water. On call 24/7, Hickman makes certain that the water flowing into the Clackamas River, designated as a Wild and Scenic River, from Timber Lake’s wastewater plant poses no threat to the environment or to the city of Estacada, which gets some of its drinking water from the Clackamas River. Hickman understands that reducing and reusing wastewater is a critical element to protecting our forest watersheds.
The Riverside Fire burned through the center on September 8, 2020, wiping out Timber Lake’s drinking water plant. The fire also severely damaged the level three wastewater plant, but in the succeeding 20 months, Hickman, supported by Recreation Specialists Patrick “Rick” Goodson and Brent Faas and Maintenance Workers Tony Rickman and Ernesto Alcantara worked tirelessly to get the system back on-line.
“I thought we were going to lose everything based on what the fire doing that morning,” said Hickman. “I still think I’m in recovery mode. Just repair, replace, repair, replace, fix things, get things working.”
“We Have Our Purpose Back”
Enthralled is seemly an odd word to describe a person expounding on how to clean dirty water; however, that word springs to mind listening to Hickman. Improbably, as he throws out terms like anaerobic, biochemical oxygen demand, and facultative lagoon (known commonly as a “polishing pond), it leaves you with a thirst—excuse the pun—for a greater understanding the water cycle and our water infrastructure.
A simple description of the cleaning process is that the treatment plant biologically purifies water to a quality fit for discharge into local waterways. But that answer misses interesting details, including that not only is Timber Lake’s wastewater discharge is as clean as drinking water, but it’s also cleaner than the river its being dumped into. However, because the discharged water must be stored in a polishing pond before being released back into the river, the assortment of birds, ducks and beavers who live in the pond until it can be released over the winter reverts the cleanliness back to the level of mother nature.
Timber Lake’s effects spread beyond just the Clackamas River watershed, as Hickman helps train students from all over the country. In fact, although, the Alaska Job Corps Center is the only center that offers the Sewer and Waste Worker trade, it lacks a physical plant. As a result, the Alaska Job Corps often sends students to Hickman to complete the required work-based learning. “It’s a great field to get into. I love it and I believe in it,” shared Hickman. “We’re doing something great for the environment.”
As a Timber Lake Job Corps graduate himself, students are at the heart of everything Hickman does. The almost two-year absence of students on-center after the Riverside Fire hurt staff morale. When seven students were welcomed back on April 22, 2022, the staff’s mood became upbeat. “That’s when everybody said, ‘we have our purpose back,’” said Hickman.
Caring for the Land and Serving People
The tapestry of Hickman’s life narrative became interwoven with the Forest Service at a young age. His story is one of renewal and second chances, and it reflects the human element of the Forest Service motto, “Caring for the Land and Serving People.” The threads of his story encompass the agency’s mission of public service, youth and conservation education, and the beneficial natural resource management for Americans today and in the future.
In 1999, Hickman was working as a minimum wage fruit packer in Goldendale, Washington, struggling with substance abuse and on probation for misdemeanor offenses. He was surrounded by family and friends making poor life choices. “I knew the only way to change my life’s direction was to escape my environment, and I saw Job Corps as that chance.” Blocked from enrolling by his probation office, it took his attorney, a few good police officers and an understanding judge to clear Hickman’s path into Timber Lake in October 1999.
The Timber Lake Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center is one of 24 centers that are known as Civilian Conservation Centers. These centers are operated by the Forest Service in partnership with the Department of Labor and encourage students to learn in nature and work to sustain and improve the land they live on.
Hickman’s first trade choice was electrical. But due to the trade’s six-month waiting list, he enrolled in facilities maintenance. His instructor, recognizing facilities maintenance was a poor career match for Hickman, arranged a job shadow with then Water Plant Operator Dave Owens. That same day, Mt. Hood National Forest’s electrical and civil engineers were on-site analyzing operations.
“That day was the day I found the career I wanted,” said Hickman. “As I followed them around, I realized that mathematics—which I love—along with science, plumbing and electrical were all tied into every aspect of the operation, and I was intrigued.” While earning his trade certification, Hickman worked at the plant on alternating weeks while attending Clackamas Community College to prepare for Wastewater Operator Certification Program exams to qualify as a certified operator. The City of Estacada offered him a job, but Hickman wanted to be with, and work alongside , Timber Lake Job Corps students. He worked 11 months as a student before being hired as a career employee as the plant operator in November 2001.
Changed Lives
Hickman’s devotion to Timber Lake arises not only from how it changed the trajectory of his life, but also the lives of his immediate family. “Job Corps changed my life, but not only my life, it changed both my brothers’ lives and my father’s.” Both his parents struggled with substance abuse issues, and his 13-year-old had dropped out of Jr. High School. Shortly after he was hired, Hickman obtained custody of his brother from his mother. His older brother, battling addiction and facing legal troubles, came to live with him about a year later. He too cleaned up his life, found employment and later purchased a rental house Hickman owned. Hickman’s father also followed his son to Estacada, got sober and turned his life around. Only Hickman’s mother was lost to drugs--she died of an overdose. “If Job Corps weren’t available to me, who knows where the four of us would have ended up--possibly with our mom or incarcerated.”
Hickman could--but does not--leave Timber Lake for a more lucrative job. What keeps him there are the students. “A lot of the people that I modeled or who mentored me into what I am now no longer work here. A lot of them passed away,” he shared. “But their memory still lives out here. They are part of this program. I want to stay to continue their legacy.”
