Wednesday, January 26, 2022 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon C O M M U N I T 3 Y City snapshot — new planner, code changes By Sue Stafford Correspondent Lynn Lounsbury’s water legacy PHOTO PROVIDED Lynn Lounsbury’s career has been built around water. He’s spending his retirement out on it, in a raft or with fishing rod. By Katy Yoder Correspondent Lynn Lounsbury knows water. How it flows, perco- lates, rises, and falls. During his long career managing water systems, taking care of Central Oregon9s precious resource has been his high- est priority. Since moving to Sisters in 1978, he9s managed water utilities for Black Butte Ranch (1978-2010), Indian Meadow Water Company (1988-2020), and Tollgate (1993-2022). He9s retiring from his duties with Tollgate at the end of this month. Looking back over decades of water and sewage man- agement, he credits his suc- cess with training, an ability to find solutions to tough challenges, and a desire to keep learning. Navigating the estab- lishment of water rights, a process that can take more than a decade, served both his clients and the environ- ment. His role also required orchestrating well-drilling and overseeing the construc- tion of water systems for thousands of homes. His goal was to ensure Sisters Country9s pristine water, both above-ground and in aquifers, remained healthy. His first job in Central Oregon began at Black Butte Ranch (BBR) through an internship program at Linn Benton Community College (LBCC). On the second day of his BBR internship, he was offered a full-time job. When Lounsbury9s boss left, he was promoted to the manager of the BBR utili- ties department for water and sewer.