A life, a career, in water

If enough rain didn’t fall on the farm in Eastern Coryell County and Western McLennan County, Aaron Abel knew as a child that the weather’s actions forecasted rough times for his family.

As dryland farmers in Central Texas, whether his father or his grandfather planted cotton, soybeans, maize, or wheat, the family was dependent on the sky relinquishing that liquid gold for their crops to thrive.

Water wasn’t just important; it was essential, and it was that stark childhood truth that propelled him into a career field that matched his passion and guided him to his current role as the Brazos River Authority’s water services manager.

Abel said he had many science-rich years that gave him the tools he needed to be successful in the realm of hydrology. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Geoscience from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s of Science in Hydrology from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.

The U.S. Geological Survey defines hydrology as the science that encompasses the occurrence, distribution, movement, and properties of water on Earth and its relationship with the environment within each phase of the hydrologic cycle, more commonly known as the water cycle.

Over the years, Abel went on to work as a hydrogeologist with two private engineering firms and as a research assistant. After a while, he and his wife were ready to return to the Central Texas area to be closer to their families.

“I had a friend who worked in the Central Texas area, and they suggested I check out the BRA,” Abel said. “There was a position open that fit my skills. I had not been in the water supply industry previously, but it was something that I knew would continue to be important. I wanted to get back to something that was more meaningful. I really felt the need to make a transition to an applied career where my skills in hydrologic modeling and what I gained through my education could be applied in the real world.”

In March 2008, Abel was hired as a senior water resources planner at the BRA. The water services department was in the midst of working on the state’s first System Operations Permit and Water Management Plan. He was heavily involved in that work, as well as the many facets that involve water supply planning. The System Operation Permit enabled the BRA to access additional authorization and provide additional use in the basin through the coordinated operation of existing reservoirs and other downstream flows.

In April 2018, Abel was promoted to lead the department as Water Services Manager, where he and his staff oversee the BRA’s daily water supply operations, provide water resources planning support to the organization, manage customer relations, and handle contractual management of water supply agreements, as well as project management.

During the rainy season, the team plans and coordinates gate operations at the BRA’s three water supply reservoirs to pass floodwaters. During drier conditions, the team implements the organization’s Drought Contingency Plan and coordinates with water users in the system regarding water usage.

“There’s a lot of heavy responsibilities, but we have a great team,” Abel said.

There are many different hats to wear in the department, Abel said.

“We interact with our customers, both from a customer relations perspective with those with contractual needs of water, then also in the delivery in making sure we can deliver the water to our customers – that’s a really important part of who BRA is and what we do in making sure all the water supply needs are satisfied and can rely upon the water that they have under contract with us,” he said.

The team also works closely with essentially all other departments in the organization, he said. The BRA recently underwent a reorganization, during which it increased the responsibilities of the Water Services Department regarding customer relations. It’s a move, Abel said, that he looks forward to developing further.

“I enjoy what I do because there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t learn something. You could argue that there’s not a day that is the same in the life of a person or an organization that manages water in Texas,” Abel said. “The water world continues to get more and more complicated as water needs increase and the water supply users change through time. This industry is constantly changing and that’s both interesting and challenging.”

The hardest part of the role is navigating through droughts and ensuring a reliable water supply, Abel said. There is more need for water than is currently available.

To secure that future water supply, the BRA is working on several projects to bring more water online, such as the construction of Allens Creek Reservoir, which is estimated to provide an annual firm water supply of 99,650 acre-feet, the yearly water use of about 260,000 families, or the Lake Whitney reallocation study which could make roughly 241,646 acre-feet of water supply storage available without the need to build another reservoir.

Abel said he wishes more people understood the complexity of water supply because it might make them appreciate it more and be more willing to conserve.

“I think everyone understands water is important, but I think a lot of people take water for granted,” he said. “The process to plan a water supply project, gain the authorizations and permits, secure funding, and then design, construct, and implement a project is complicated and doesn’t happen overnight. I think if people knew where their water comes from and how complex it is to develop water supply, they would think a little bit differently about how one uses water.”

Ensuring there’s enough water for everyone in the future will involve more than building additional reservoirs, utilizing groundwater, reallocating existing reservoirs, implementing aquifer storage and recovery, or desalination. It’s also likely going to take behavioral changes, Abel said.

“It’s going to take both sides of the equation, both the supply-side and demand-side to make sure we, as Texans, have enough,” he said.

Abel lives in Waco with his wife and their two daughters, with whom he enjoys spending a lot of time outside of work. When he can, he enjoys going hunting, fishing, and hiking.

“I’ve always been drawn to the outdoors and I think that’s because how attached to the land my family was as I grew up,” he said.