MYRIAM GONZALEZ
What do you get when you combine a plow-forward work ethic with waterway knowledge diligently curated over the course of nearly 37 years? In the offices of Tarrant Regional Water District, Billy Stewart might be mistaken for a maintenance worker or groundskeeper if you don’t look closely. In truth, he is a little bit of everything, because after growing with TRWD for roughly four decades, his title of lake supervisor says it all — he’s the overseer of Eagle Mountain Lake.
Stewart was born in Fort Worth and grew up in the Saginaw–Blue Mound area, putting him close to the reservoir, where he says he spent much of his time. He recounts days of hanging out at Twin Points Beach when gas was cheap — 60 cents a gallon — and an old hamburger joint would lure hungry teens after a day’s fun.
“It didn't look anything like this right here,” he said, referring to Twin Points Park today. “It was older, of course, and then they had a little hamburger joint in there, and they had a little boat dock over here,” he recalled as he points to a map on the screen.
Stewart talks about the “muscle car days” as he zooms in and out of a digital map of Eagle Mountain Lake on the wall. Now, instead of reminiscing, he proudly points out the projects he’s worked on since joining TRWD in 1989 — first aid stations, pavilions and boat docks among them.
After high school Stewart went straight into welding and fabrication, building transport trailers and gasoline haulers in local welding shops. He crafted his trade well into his 30s before receiving a tip from his future father-in-law that TRWD’s Fort Worth location was looking for a welder. His many years sweating behind personal protective gear paid off as he worked his way from mechanic shop supervisor to floodway supervisor before being named lake supervisor in 2007.
From below ground to dry land, to the water that sits above it — if it’s within TRWD’s area, Stewart’s had a hand in it, and he’ll be the first to admit it.
“I wear a lot of hats. I’m not just responsible for Eagle Mountain Lake, my department also oversees maintenance responsibilities at other district reservoirs, including Lake Bridgeport, small flood control reservoirs, Marine Creek Lake and Cement Creek Lake near Meacham Field. I do all the procurement for the department — purchasing all our needs, tool, etc. to keep all the equipment and water appurtenances operating to their full capabilities. We use a mechanic shop in Fort Worth if we have issues, but we do all the minor maintenance on all the equipment ourselves,” Stewart said.
Aside from routine maintenance, Stewart oversees the main dam and spillway, the underway gates and monitors the water flowing into Lake Worth and Trinity River through a set of 1932 model valves — one facet of the job that has not changed over the years. When he’s not “deep” in the intricacies of the water system, he’ll be above it, tending to boat ramps, buoy lines and leftover storm debris.
If maintaining park grounds, managing water supply and routine office duties weren’t enough, he also oversees a small crew — watching them learn and grow while he offers words of advice along the way.
“Pay attention to the old timers that have been doing it for years … pay attention to what they have to say because you’ll learn something from them. You may not use that particular technique or method, but you can build off it,” he said. “Come in and give a decent day's work for a decent day's pay and put out 100% when you can and maybe go over,” Stewart said he tells his team.
As Stewart ponders retirement, he said what he’ll miss the most are the people and the responsibility of finding innovative ways to repair things. And when he finally walks away from TRWD after almost 40 years, he simply wants to be remembered as loyal, dedicated, a hard worker and a mentor. From swimming along the banks as a kid to cautiously protecting them as an adult, it is a full circle moment for Stewart and for Eagle Mountain Lake.
