A Day in the Life of the Brazos River Authority
Story by Bob Kaspar | Photos contributed by the Brazos River Authority

Possum Kingdom Lake, with its storied and vivid history, is instrumental to life throughout the Brazos River basin, storing and releasing the water that fuels industry and agriculture as far downstream as the Texas Gulf Coast.

The lake also supplies some of the drinking water that makes life possible for many of the communities along the banks of the Brazos while also providing recreational opportunities for thousands of visitors every year.

Managing all those aspects of the lake is a local crew of 45 employees of the Brazos River Authority (BRA), and it’s their hard work and dedication that keep this critical body of water in optimum condition.

Though officially given its title in 1953, the Brazos River Authority originally was called the Brazos River Conservation and Reclamation District, which first formed in 1929. This organization was tasked with conserving and controlling floodwaters throughout the Brazos River Basin.

Before the district’s formation, development of the land within the Brazos River basin was hindered by devastating floods that forced the river out of its banks, with the river sometimes sprawling up to six miles wide.

In 1938 the district broke ground on Morris Sheppard Dam, a massive structure measuring 2,700 feet across and 190 feet high. The dam was built as a Works Progress Administration project and is named after U.S. Sen. John Morris Sheppard, a native Texan who played a vital role in securing funding for the project.

In 1941 the dam was completed, and Possum Kingdom Lake – the district’s first and largest reservoir – began to fill. At the time, experts predicted that the process would take three years, but extensive storms filled the lake in just three months. Today, the lake holds 540,000 acre-feet of water and measures up to 100 feet deep.

“Water is a huge commodity in the state of Texas,†said Randall McCartney, reservoir manager for Possum Kingdom Lake.

McCartney and his team are responsible for the maintenance and operation of both the dam and its surrounding parkland.

As rainfall causes the lake level to rise, it occasionally becomes necessary for the dam to release water downstream, and this is accomplished by lowering nine massive floodgates that are nicknamed “bear traps†because of their distinctive shape.

Each floodgate has to be unlocked manually by the workers that operate the dam. The workers don safety harnesses that are anchored to the dam before walking across the gates to release each lock. Once the gates are unlocked and all other necessary procedures are completed, the gates can then fully open.

“A select few of our maintenance workers might get called out at two in the morning and have to go out on the dam during a thunderstorm,†McCartney said. “I’m extremely proud of our employees from our maintenance department and the guys who perform the gate operations. I’m also very proud of our reservoir support maintenance unit workers, who do everything from welding to concrete work to countless other duties. That prevents the BRA from having to subcontract out any of the maintenance for the dam.â€

The decision to release water from the dam is made by the BRA’s Water Services Department at its central office in Waco.

“The goal is obviously not to top the dam,†McCartney said. “We also want to impact as few people downstream as possible.â€

The staff members who maintain and operate the dam constitute just one part of the upkeep at Possum Kingdom Lake. Along its shoreline is a network of 10 lakeside parks, which include fishing piers, 16 miles of trails for hiking and biking, and seven boat ramps for lake access.

In recent years, visitation to these parks has increased dramatically.

“Since (the COVID-19 pandemic), obviously numbers have increased,†McCartney said. “Folks can work from home remotely now, so whether you’re camping in a park or have a second home out here on the lake, people are realizing that they can just work from out there.â€

BRA employees are responsible for a variety of maintenance activities that keep the parks in tip-top shape, including trash collection and trail maintenance, as well as repairs to docks and fishing piers.

Visitors to the parks are also attracted by the varied wildlife that call these wild places home such as eagles, ospreys, a multitude of songbirds, and white-tailed deer. The lake itself is also a world-famous fishing destination, making boating access a top priority.

“It’s amazing the recreational opportunities that this lake provides, and that this part of the state offers,†McCartney said.

As a storage reservoir and world-renowned recreational destination, Possum Kingdom Lake will continue to play an important role throughout both Palo Pinto County and beyond for the state’s rapidly increasing population, and the local members of the Brazos River Authority are up to the challenge. Through their dedicated efforts, they are maintaining a beautiful park system and operating an 80-year-old dam that is a marvel of engineering.

“We have some really amazing folks that work for the Brazos River Authority,†McCartney said, adding that it’s the historic and unique dam – and stunning parkland – that make the job rewarding for him.