WRA. Water Resources

Abstract Ronald K. Blatchley (b. 1929) was a water consultant in Colorado from the early 1960s into the 2000s. He worked at two firms, Tipton and Kalmbach, and W. W. Wheeler and Associates, before starting his own consulting firms Blatchley Associates, North Fork Associates, and Mountain Mutual Reservoir Company. Consisting mainly of reports from his firms, the collection includes augmentation plans, water rights evaluations, and groundwater studies. Blatchley's clients were mostly located in the...

Abstract

Roy and Ardyce Johnson owned and operated a family farm near Wiggins, Colorado, between 1960 and 1986. The collection documents the struggles to keep the irrigated farm afloat, including financing with the Federal Land Bank and legal issues related to the use of groundwater. Additionally, the collection covers irrigation systems, the 1980s Farmers' Crisis, and the proposed Narrows Dam. Materials include financial reports, legal documents, letters, maps, and clippings.

Abstract During his fifty-year career, Colorado civil engineer Royce J. Tipton (1893-1967) designed numerous large water infrastructure projects in the U.S. West and around the world. As an accomplished and respected consultant, he helped negotiate several interstate water compacts and international treaties. Materials in the collection concern water planning projects conducted by Tipton in the United States, South America, the Middle East, and South Asia. Materials are almost entirely reports...

Abstract Scott Hummer (b. 1959) worked in Colorado water resources administration and management for more than 30 years, with his longest position being as the first full-time water commissioner for the Blue River Basin (Water District 36). This collection primarily documents that work, emphasizing visual depictions of the Blue River, a tributary of the Colorado River. The collection includes photographs of the river and tributaries, reservoirs and tarns, headgates, diversion systems, high-water...

Abstract Ted C. Sheng (b. 1924) is a retired professor from the Colorado State University Department of Earth Resources and an expert in international watershed management, especially in policy, education, and training. Sheng's career included serving as a leader of watershed management in Taiwan and as an expert consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organization, as well as assisting with watershed programs in countries such as Jamaica, El Salvador, and Thailand. The collection contains a...

Abstract The National Water Resources Association (NWRA) is comprised of the water users of seventeen western states. It was known as the National Reclamation Association from 1932 until 1970. J. R. "Bob" Barkley served as the Colorado Director of the NWRA from 1966 to 1974, when he became its president. The collection includes papers from the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy Board and the personal files of Barkley while he served on the National Reclamation Association (1934-1969), the...

Abstract

Theodore M. Schad (1918-2005), a civil engineer and water resources policy expert, served in a number of federal and private agencies over his career. The materials in this collection are from the period when Schad served as executive director of the National Water Commission. The collection consists primarily of copies of contracts for grants issued by the National Water Commission for a variety of reports and water-related projects.

Abstract Tom Pitts worked with local, state, and federal organizations to find solutions for water usage and environmental regulatory issues. His efforts on endangered species issues resulted in multiple long-term programs benefiting both water users and endangered fish in river basins within and beyond Colorado. The collection thoroughly documents Pitts' work on the Colorado Water Congress Special Project on Threatened and Endangered Species, including work specific to the four endangered fish...

Abstract

Vujica M. Yevjevich (1913-2006), a native of Yugoslavia, was a professor, lecturer, consultant, and researcher of hydrologic engineering. Yevjevich taught in Colorado State University's engineering department from 1960 until his retirement in 1979. The collection contains notes, essays, correspondence, graphs, maps, and technical information on his work in hydrology, mostly international in nature.

Abstract William Daven "W.D." Farr (1910-2007) was a leading water pioneer, cattleman, and businessman in northern Colorado. He was extensively involved in many local and national water and agricultural organizations, including the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, the Greeley Water and Sewer Board, and the American National Cattlemen's Association. Materials document little of Farr's professional life but more of his service activities and personal life. Beyond Farr and his...

Abstract Wayne Clyma (1935-2021) was a Colorado State University professor of agricultural engineering from 1971 to 1998. In addition to teaching, Clyma also conducted research for many irrigation projects in United States and around the world. Some highlights include the Management Improvement Program (MIP) in Arizona and the Water Management Synthesis Project I and II in Pakistan. Other countries where Clyma worked include India, Bangladesh, and Egypt. The collection includes teaching materials,...

Abstract As a civil engineer with a long and distinguished career, Whitney McNair Borland (1905-2001) focused his research on sedimentation, hydraulics, avalanches and other aspects of hydrology. He was employed by the United States Bureau of Reclamation for over forty years, spending some of that time conducting model sedimentation studies in Fort Collins, working in the Colorado State University engineering lab designed by Ralph Parshall. The collection consists of documents either collected or...

Abstract William J. Wiltzius (1933-2013) was a long-time employee of the Colorado Game and Fish Department and a respected expert on Colorado's fish culture and stocking history. The collection compiles Wiltzius' research about hatcheries, sport fishing, and the people who established fish culture in nineteenth-century Colorado. Materials include scrapbooks of newsclippings, computer printouts and photocopies of news articles and genealogical information, published reports, notes, correspondence, and...

Abstract After working as an engineer for private firms in Delta, Colorado, for four years, William P. Stanton joined the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) in 1976 where he worked for the next 24 years. The collection focuses on documents Stanton collected and produced throughout his career, with emphasis on floodplain management, flood mitigation and analysis, and weather modification. The collection also includes travel notes and itineraries from a professional trip to Australia and New...

Abstract William R. Kelly (1883-1980) worked as a lawyer, primarily based in Greeley, Colorado, for more than 60 years and became an authority on water law during that time. He was instrumental in the formation of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District in the 1930s and served as their attorney. The collection consists chiefly of various reminscences and writings by Kelly. Often these are autobiographical or related to water law or projects, though some are about family, friends, or...

Abstract

Civil engineer William Sayre (1927-1981) contributed significant scientific research about sediment transport and turbulent flows. He spent the majority of his career working for the U.S. Geological Survey as a research hydrologist and the University of Iowa as a professor of hydraulics and water-resources engineering. The collection consists mainly of articles, reports, and handwritten notes, along with correspondence, presentations, teaching materials, and research data.

Abstract Bill Green, a water resources engineer and outdoor photographer, photographs reservoirs, streams, and natural areas in the western United States. The collection consists of 25 digital photographs of the 2002 Colorado drought, as well as nearly 1,500 slides of water features, parks, and wildlife, mostly in Colorado but also in other western states. A portion of the collection is digitized and ...

Abstract The Arkansas Valley Sugar Beet and Irrigated Land Company combined eastern wealth, optimism, and engineering skill to irrigate Colorado's arid southeastern plains. Beyond initial attempts at growing and processing sugar beets, the company established the Amity Canal Model Dairy Farm about 1914. The collection consists chiefly of photographic materials along with a set of engineering letters. Photographic subjects are mainly the company's irrigation facilities and related construction or...

Abstract In 1935, Congress passed legislation funding a federal Snow Survey Program after a severe drought in the western United States. The purpose of the Natural Resources Conservation Service's Snow Survey Program is to provide mountain snowpack data and water supply forecasts for the western United States. The collection includes images of snow survey sites and equipment, agency employees, and public outreach events. Materials include slides, photographs,and film reels. A portion of the...

Abstract Ralph Parshall contributed significantly to the field of irrigation engineering with the development of a flow-measuring device that became commonly known as the Parshall flume and continues to be widely used. Materials in the collection include Parshall's patent on his "Venturi flume water stage recording instruments," awards that Parshall received, publications, copies of talks he presented on KOA radio in Denver, and a number of lantern slides depicting flumes, weirs, plans, and...