David Drake, Treasurer of the Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District Board of Directors, was recently recognized with the 2020 Industry Icon Award by Water and Wastes Digest, an industry-related technical magazine which covers breaking news and new developments in water and wastewater products, projects, and technology.

The award, which is open to engineers, consultants, equipment manufacturers, designers, administrators or other water and wastewater professionals, recognizes an individual’s passion for the water and wastewater treatment industry, dedication beyond normal work hours, and compassion for their local community.

A long-time resident of Escondido and the Vice President of Hadronex, Drake was first appointed in 2006 to the Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District Board of Directors and has served four consecutive terms of service.

Industry Icon – 30 year career in the water and wastewater industry

Drake, along with his business partner, Greg Quist, started Hadronex Inc., also known as SmartCover Systems, with a dedication to the development of a solution that promised to provide reliable wastewater collection system visibility.  This led to a collaborative design of the first real-time remote monitoring system designed specifically to prevent sewer spills. Today, many wastewater utilities have come to depend on SmartCover for proactive predictions and notifications to help prevent sewer overflows.

“I was so surprised and very honored to receive Water & Wastes Digest’s Industry Icon award,” said Drake. “This award would not have been possible without support from my business associates and colleagues. Thank you to the teams at SmartCover, Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District, and California Joint Powers Insurance Authority who supported and motivated me to reach my goals.”

Serving as a mentor to those in the water and waste water communities as well as the community in which he lives, Drake says that there are three components to successfully reach an end goal: Attack the problem – not the people; assume you don’t have all the answers; and, give people a mission.

Problem solving genius

“Rincon Water is fortunate to have David Drake on its Board of Directors,” said Diana Towne, a member of the Rincon’s Board of Directors.  “David is a one-of-a-kind, think outside the box, problem solving genius with an unfeigned interest in listening to what everyone has to say.  He is not just an icon in the water and wastewater business, he is a dedicated, honorable public servant.”

With an electrical engineering degree from the California Institute of Technology and a Master of Science Degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California, Drake started working in the water industry in 1990 as a City of Escondido representative with the San Diego County Water Authority. In 2002, Drake became the Vice President of Engineering for PointSource Technologies where he managed the real-time detection of microorganisms.

In addition to serving as Rincon Water’s Board Treasurer, Drake is also on the Fire/Emergency preparedness Committee, Sewer Committee, and the Audit Committee. He also serves on the Association of California Water Agencies’ Energy Committee, is Rincon Water’s representative to the ACWA Joint Powers Insurance Authority and is on the ACWA/JPIA Worker’s Compensation Committee.