April 3, 2026 – The Brazos River Authority’s oldest dam is set to receive additional upgrades as crews carry out ongoing maintenance on this 85-year-old engineering marvel, which plays a vital role in protecting the Brazos River Basin’s water supply.
At its bimonthly meeting on March 30, 2026, the BRA Board of Directors approved $460,000 for a professional services agreement with Gannett Fleming TranSystems, Inc. This funding supports the final phase of the Concrete Assessment and Service Life Extension (CAASLE) project at Possum Kingdom Lake’s Morris Sheppard Dam.
This final phase of the CAASLE project is all about checking the dam’s concrete and creating a plan for repairs to keep the structure healthy for years to come. Morris Sheppard Dam has been standing strong since 1941, built with help from the Depression-era Works Progress Program. It’s an impressive structure, and the BRA’s largest dam, at 2,700 feet long and 190 feet high, or about half a mile long and as tall as a 13-story building.
A critical product of the program is a guide that provides a process for observing, evaluating, and repairing concrete structures, said Mike McClendon, BRA’s chief projects officer. This guide will set up the crews at Possum Kingdom Lake with a step-by-step playbook for prioritizing, investigating, and repairing, he said.
The Reservoir System Maintenance Unit, or RSMU, started back in 1992 and has become a huge part of the dam’s story. This crew and their commitment to excellence have streamlined maintenance and improved project efficiency while saving the BRA millions over the years.
“Our goal and objective, along with the engineer’s goal and objective, when undertaking this project, has been for RSMU to be self-sufficient, but there are going to be items or conditions that arise that are going to likely require engineering expertise, especially whenever you’re rehabilitating a structure that was built in the 1930s, when Morris Sheppard was done,” McClendon said.
Since the CAASLE project began, about 24 repairs have been made, and two are ongoing at this time, McClendon said.
Also, during the meeting, the Board authorized a $125,000 interlocal agreement with Texas AgriLife Research, an agency of the State of Texas and member of the Texas A&M University System.
Through this agreement, Texas AgriLife Research will lead a Boating Capacity Study for Possum Kingdom Lake. This study will look at crowding, safety concerns, and potential impacts of adjacent future development, said Brad Brunett, BRA's chief operations officer. The findings might help shape BRA policy on on-water facility permitting decisions for docks and marinas, as well as future decisions about use and divestiture of BRA property around Possum Kingdom Lake, Brunett said.
The study will kick off in May and go through Labor Day weekend in September to capture the busy boating season. The Lower Colorado River Authority has been using Texas AgriLife for boating capacity study work over the last 20 years, Brunett said.
This study is a byproduct of the BRA's ongoing review of its properties, which began in 2024. That evaluation aims to inform future management decisions and ensure consistency with its mission. Through this process, a matrix was developed to grade properties based on factors such as floodplain status, water quality impacts, habitat value, species considerations, recreational potential, and so forth, Brunett said. An area for improvement in this process was the information on boat capacity and how additional development could affect boating on the lake.
The Board also:
- accepted the BRA's Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2025, and approved its filing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The Texas Water Code requires the BRA to file the annual audited financial statements issued by an independent auditing firm with TCEQ. The ACFR was jointly prepared by BRA staff and the independent accounting firm of Baker Tilly US, LLP. To view the BRA’s ACFR reports, go here.
- ratified the 2026 rates of $31.19 per acre-foot for Election Use Water and $15.59 per acre-foot for Option Use Water as adjusted in accordance with the formula stated in the existing Replacement Water Supply Agreements.
- ratified Presiding Officer Flores’s appointment of the following individuals to serve as members of the Retirement Committee: Judy Krohn, Chair, Christine Giese, Jen Henderson, Vice Chair, Austin Ruiz, and Ford Taylor. Appointed members of the Retirement Committee shall serve until a successor is appointed.
- authorized an additional $300,000 for the services of any type of expert(s) deemed necessary to facilitate the negotiation of any third-party challenges and achieve final authorization on the US Army Corps of Engineers project.
Learn more by reading this article: Next big Brazos River Basin water supply project advances
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