WRA. Water Resources

Abstract In 2002, the Fort Collins office of the National Park Service contracted with Professor Michael Welsh of the University of Northern Colorado to conduct oral history interviews focused on land use patterns. The area of focus was the Cache la Poudre River Heritage Corridor. The collection consists of interview recordings, transcripts, and one paper on water conservation. A portion of the collection is digitized and ...

Abstract The Climate Data Collection contains more than 140 years, starting in 1872, of climate data which was primarily collected by local weather stations as part of the National Weather Service Cooperative Observer Program and also by the Mountain States Weather Services and Colorado Amateur Radio Weather Net. The collection consists primarily of weather data from Colorado as well as the Rocky Mountain region and some eastern states. There are also voluminous sets of Denver and Fort Collins,...

Abstract The Colorado Water Congress was established in 1958 to provide information about water-related issues affecting Colorado and the West. The organization's newsletters offer a broad overview of Colorado water debates and policy issues, as well as columns and commentary from some of the state's leading water experts. Materials include newsletters, VHS tapes, and conference materials. A portion of the collection is digitized and ...

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David Walker was a Director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB). The CWCB was formed in 1937 as a state agency to aid in the protection and development of waters in the state. It is a division of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. The collection consists of documents created largely in relation to CWCB meetings and projects. Materials include reports by the Colorado Water Congress and reports concerning the Union Avenue Boat By-Pass in Englewood.

Abstract Herbert H. Vandemoer, resident of Sterling, Colorado, was a geographic appointee to the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) from 1964-1985, representing the South Platte River Basin. The CWCB was formed in 1937 as a state agency to aid in the protection and development of waters in the state. It is a division of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. The collection consists of documents created largely in relation to CWCB meetings and projects. Materials include agendas, minutes,...

Abstract On July 31, 1976, the Big Thompson Canyon, just west of Loveland, Colorado, was the scene of a flash flood which claimed 144 lives. The collection consists of oral history tapes and transcripts along with photographs, slides, audiotapes, newspaper clippings, and other material Colorado State University history professor Dr. David McComb compiled when researching for his book Big Thompson: Profile of a Natural Disaster. A portion of the collection is...

Abstract The Colorado State University Department of Earth Resources faculty and researchers maintained centralized reference and research files. This collection is comprised of selections of their water-related files. In addition to a set of files on the U.S. Virgin Islands, the collection contains various reports and files related to vegetation and forests in relation to fire, acid rain, and oil shale as well as the South Platte River and Clear Creek. Aerial photos of the Comanche Alpine Area (now...

Abstract The Federal Land Bank of Wichita was created, along with twelve other banks, by the United States government to provide long-term credit to farmers by the Federal Farm Loan Act of 1916 in response to the unique credit needs of farmers. The collection contains reports and maps relating to ditches, streams, and underground water in Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, and Nebraska, as well as similar reports from the Land Bank of Berkeley regarding Utah and Wyoming. A portion of the collection is...

Abstract Colorado State University's strength in groundwater research evolved naturally from the state's early residents needing information on irrigated agriculture. The data, maps, charts, drafts, correspondence, photographs, final reports, and reference materials that were produced by or collected for these groundwater studies over the years are what comprise the Groundwater Data Collection. Materials relate to the groundwater studies that CSU researchers conducted primarily in eastern Colorado...

Abstract The Irrigation Photograph Collection contains lantern slides and glass plate negatives related primarily to irrigation and agricultural subjects in Colorado and around the world. Colorado locations include the Colorado Agricultural College campus, Long's Peak, the San Luis Valley, and the Eastern Plains. Other countries significantly represented through irrigation or cultural sites include Egypt, Algeria, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Mexico. A portion of the...

Abstract In 1911, the Irrigation Investigations Unit of the U.S. Department of Agriculture was established in Fort Collins in conjunction with Colorado Agricultural College (now Colorado State University). Scientists within the unit, including Ralph Parshall, Carl Rohwer, Victor M. Cone, and William E. Code, conducted irrigation-related research. They studied and designed apparatuses to measure water flow through canals and diversion structures, investigated various irrigation projects, and conducted...

Abstract For over 50 years, Ival V. Goslin (1911-1991) worked in water resources. This collection contains records from throughout his career. The bulk of the collection contains records from the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority where Goslin served as the first executive director and later as a consultant. The Authority (est. 1981) has conducted water project feasibility studies and created and implemented financing programs for water and wastewater infrastructures. The...

Abstract The Larimer County District Court Map Collection (1884-1953) contains maps of water-related structures used to establish water rights and settle water disputes in district courts. The maps provide information regarding water adjudication and water litigation in the first half of the twentieth century. The information on some of the more comprehensive maps offer details about the physical description, capacity and water source of large canals, ditches, reservoirs and wells. Collectively they...

Abstract The Local Water Resources History Collection is an aggregation of items acquired from many different sources. Combining a wide range of materials including maps, blueprints, brochures, programs, posters, reports, photographs, newsletters, audiotapes, CDs, and DVDs, the collection touches on various topics related to Colorado water issues, people, and organizations. Topics include ditches and irrigation systems, water rights, and drought studies, as well as various rivers and reservoirs. Some...

Abstract The North Poudre Irrigation Company has supplied water in northern Colorado for over one hundred years. Incorporated in 1901, the company founded the sugar-beet farming community of Wellington in 1903 and currently manages more than 22 storage reservoirs and approximately 200 miles of ditches. This collection primarily consists of eleven oral histories with company officials. It reflects the history of this local irrigation enterprise and the evolution of agricultural and municipal water use...

Abstract For six days in September 2013, historic levels of rain fell over much of the Northern Colorado Front Range causing massive flooding and landslides that killed eight people and caused over $2 billion in damage to homes, businesses, farms, and irrigation structures. This collection contains oral history interviews, reports, PowerPoint presentations, newspapers, and a video documenting the 2013 floods and their aftermath. Most of the oral history interviewees were officials and professionals...

Abstract Arnold Ivan Johnson (1919-2011) was a hydrologist who worked for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for over 30 years researching soil mechanics and water-related issues. A member of many professional organizations and over 50 committees and symposia, he served as First Vice President of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) from 1975 to 1979 and received the Meritorious Service Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior. The collection primarily contains...

Abstract California lawyer Arthur L. Littleworth (1923-2021) served as special master on the Kansas v. Colorado Supreme Court case from 1987 until its conclusion in 2009. The case was tried in four parts, and Littleworth wrote five reports during the course of the case. This collection documents the case in its entirety, through trial transcripts, exhibits, and pleadings, as well as correspondence, financial papers, trial notes, report drafts, final reports, and...

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As a hydro-mechanical engineer, B. T. A. Sagar (1929-2017) specialized in gates and valves for irrigation and hydropower projects around the world. The collection includes representative projects from across Dr. Sagar's career and a variety of countries in which he worked. The bulk of the collection is documentation for engineering projects where Dr. Sagar either designed, advised, or reviewed the gates and/or valves involved, along with his papers, publications, and presentations.

Abstract Carl F. Nordin, Jr., (1929-1998) was a hydraulic engineer for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Colorado State University. In 1954, he began a 30-year career with the USGS. From 1969 to 1973, he was projects chief for all USGS research on alluvial river flows conducted at Colorado State University, and from 1974 to 1984 he served as research advisor for the Water Resources Division of the USGS in Denver. After retiring from the USGS in 1984, he became a part-time professor at CSU. Nordin...