Photo: Kyle poses for a photo in his yard with his daughters, Bella, Kaitlin and Malia, son, Alaric, and wife, Kelina.
Yuba Water Agency's water resources manager, Kyle Morgado, is responsible for maintaining and enhancing the agency's delivery of a reliable water supply for the people of Yuba County, which includes overseeing capital improvement projects, managing various plans and regulatory obligations such as Yuba Water's Groundwater Sustainability Plan and more. Scroll to learn more about Kyle, how he got involved in his career path and what he enjoys in his free time.
What does your average day look like? Or what are some of your essential duties?
An average day is that there is no average day. My days vary but often include meetings with internal staff and external partners, project planning and managing, supporting water supply grantees and other efforts to help train and set my team up for future growth and success.
Do your duties differ throughout the year? And if so, how?
My duties constantly fluctuate throughout the year. Last year we had a lot of new hires, so we are currently focusing on training and developing our team for individual and team success. We are also starting a major planning process for a capital improvement plan for some of our water conveyance infrastructure. We always hope to settle into a routine, but the only constant is change.
Photo: Kyle and Bella celebrate a win with her soccer team, the Butte United Phoenix, at Harrison Stadium in Oroville. Kyle has coached her soccer teams for 11 years.
What is your background/formal education that led to where you are in your career today?
I started my career in sales and retail store management before going back to college when I was 27. I then obtained bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering from California State University, Chico. I have worked in water resources and hydropower since 2010.
How did you get involved in your current career path?
As a father of two at the time, retail sales management wasn't conducive to spending time with my family, so I decided to change careers. I looked for a career that involved math, technical thinking and applied science, had both field and office work and had job availability in Northern California. With those parameters, I found civil engineering in water resources and focused my education on that path.
What do you enjoy most about working for Yuba Water?
I enjoy the people. The job is wonderful, compensation is great, but I continue to be amazed by the quality of the people I work with. Yuba Water's employees are so diverse, smart and driven that it's always a pleasure to come to work. The agency's position in the community also allows us to do unique and wonderful things that no other job can really fulfill. Creating change in a community with great people makes me want to come to work every day.
Before working here, what was the most interesting job you had?
The most interesting job that I've had was working in the woods for my grandpa and great-uncle. I set chokers and ran chainsaws on logging jobs every summer through high school and grew up helping my grandpa on our sawmill and stacking and delivering firewood in the winter.