The Calaveras County Water District is pleased to announce Brad Arnold has been hired as the District’s Water Resources Manager. ­­­His first day on the job was Monday June 15.

Arnold graduated from the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and minor in Business Management. He went on to earn two master’s degrees, both from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). His first was in Agricultural and Natural Resources Engineerin­­­g and second in Civil & Environmental Engineering (Water Resources emphasis), the latter while working with the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences.

Arnold grew up in Ixonia, Wisconsin, in the rural southeastern portion of the state, and has been interested in natural and environmental resources since childhood. He first moved to California to attend graduate school at UC Davis, where he performed research in agricultural engineering by securing grant funds to develop an irrigation management sensor system used to increase water use efficiency in agricultural fields. While performing that work, learning about California’s large agricultural water supply systems fascinated Arnold, and after first graduating from UC Davis in 2012, he began water supply planning work for GEI Consultants (GEI). Soon he was recruited to the Bakersfield area with GEI to work on water supply analysis, Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) programmatic efforts, and groundwater studies for water districts. Following this work and his second masters, he joined the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), where he performed local outreach and technical assistance for groups in California’s North-Central Region, mostly interacting with agencies participating in the IRWM and Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) programs. While at DWR, he also worked on statewide water supply and demand studies, data management tools and interacted frequently with water districts in the Sierra Nevada Foothills and Sacramento Valley. Over the past couple years, Arnold worked for the Santa Clara Valley Water District as a senior engineer and water supply planner. He was responsible for analyzing imported water supply options, water transfers, updating water supply master plans and urban water management plans, along with exploring groundwater supply options.

Arnold decided to take the job at CCWD because he is fascinated by the Mountain Counties region and is eager to be part of managing a portion of Sierra Nevada watersheds, which are important to water resources in the entire state. He is excited to work on protecting and utilizing CCWD’s water rights, hydroelectric generation, SGMA and leading CCWD’s Water Resources Program into a bright and successful future that will benefit Calaveras County as a whole.

“I grew up in a rural Wisconsin town that is similar in many ways to the communities here in Calaveras, albeit without the surrounding beautiful mountains” Arnold said. “It’s nice for me to get back to something less hectic than the Bay Area. I enjoy this work environment and Calaveras is a good cultural fit for me. I am committed to this community, its water resources, and look forward interacting with everyone and doing a lot of quality work here.”

Outside of doing that quality work for CCWD, Arnold enjoys spending time with his wife, Emily, kayaking, hiking, travelling, exploring new places, and he may even be seen cheering on the Green Bay Packers.