Chris Higgins

A drop of rain in Lubbock might end up in a glass of water in Galveston three weeks later.Your favorite weekend spot adjacent to a reservoir might be intentionally underwater. There are a few different day jobs for Texas’ lakes, and they play an important role you might not see.  From keeping the lights on to ensuring the kitchen faucet doesn’t run dry, we’re breaking down the roles they have and what part recreation plays in it all.  Unpacking the Brazos River is a podcast by the Brazos River Authority. Share your thoughts, questions, and ideas for podcast episodes you’d like to hear about at information@brazos.org.Host: Charlie L. Shugart, BRA assistant public information officer.Guests: Aaron Abel, BRA water services manager, and Chris Higgins, BRA lead hydrologist.Intro music: Clay Sellers, BRA lab analyst. About us: The Brazos River Authority was created by the Texas Legislature in 1929 and was the first state agency in the United States created specifically for the purpose of developing and managing the water resources of an entire river basin. Today, the BRA's staff of 284 develop and distribute water supplies, provide water and wastewater treatment, monitor water quality, and pursue water conservation through public education programs. Although the Brazos River Authority is an agency of the State of Texas, it does not levy or collect taxes. Except for occasional governmental grants to help pay the costs of specific projects, the BRA is entirely self-supporting. The BRA maintains and operates its reservoirs and treatment systems using revenues from the customers it serves.

Lakes – you love them, but sometimes they don’t act the way you think they should. We’re swimming through it all to break down why some reservoirs are designed to flood their own parks on purpose, and how there’s a group patrolling the banks of rivers and tributaries to make sure nobody is sneaking an extra sip from the system. Plus, we’re talking about why you can't just flip a switch and change what a dam was built for. Stop ghosting your local hydrology. Whether you’re a lakeside local or just a fan of having enough water to shower, tune in to hear how the experts handle the flow. Unpacking the Brazos River is a podcast by the Brazos River Authority. Share your thoughts, questions, and ideas for podcast episodes you’d like to hear about at information@brazos.org. Host: Charlie L. Shugart, BRA assistant public information officer.Guests: Aaron Abel, BRA water services manager, and Chris Higgins, BRA lead hydrologistIntro music: Clay Sellers, BRA lab analyst.  About us:  The Brazos River Authority was created by the Texas Legislature in 1929 and was the first state agency in the United States created specifically for the purpose of developing and managing the water resources of an entire river basin. Today, the BRA's staff of 284 develop and distribute water supplies, provide water and wastewater treatment, monitor water quality, and pursue water conservation through public education programs. Although the Brazos River Authority is an agency of the State of Texas, it does not levy or collect taxes. Except for occasional governmental grants to help pay the costs of specific projects, the BRA is entirely self-supporting. The BRA maintains and operates its reservoirs and treatment systems using revenues from the customers it serves.

Think you know who the biggest water guzzler is in your area? You might want to sit down for this one. Dive into the data on lakes Possum Kingdom, Granbury, Whitney, Georgetown, and the rest of the crew in the Brazos River Basin. We’ve also got a breakdown of how much water goes to everyday people just trying to hydrate, versus how much power plants use to keep your lights on, as well as what’s lost to evaporation. Mother Nature was no joke in 2025, so tune in to also hear the staggering amount of floodwater Lake Granbury was forced to unleash. We see you, rain 🌧️We’ve tracked the water in the BRA’s Water Supply System, and today we’re showing you what that looks like.Unpacking the Brazos River is a podcast by the Brazos River Authority. Share your thoughts, questions, and ideas for podcast episodes you’d like to hear about at information@brazos.org. To see the Customer Water Use and Reservoir Accounting Summary graphic mentioned in the episode, go here.If you’d like to learn more about how evaporation affects the water supply in the Brazos River Basin, check out this article on Brazos.org.  Host: Charlie L. Shugart, BRA assistant public information officer.Guests: Chris Higgins, BRA lead hydrologist, and Don Hood, BRA hydrologistIntro music: Clay Sellers, BRA lab analyst.  About us: The Brazos River Authority was created by the Texas Legislature in 1929 and was the first state agency in the United States created specifically for the purpose of developing and managing the water resources of an entire river basin. Today, the BRA's staff of 284 develop and distribute water supplies, provide water and wastewater treatment, monitor water quality, and pursue water conservation through public education programs. Although the Brazos River Authority is an agency of the State of Texas, it does not levy or collect taxes. Except for occasional governmental grants to help pay the costs of specific projects, the BRA is entirely self-supporting. The BRA maintains and operates its reservoirs and treatment systems using revenues from the customers it serves. 📍Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube.📨Sign up for our quarterly newsletter.