WRA. Water Resources

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...

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 Plumb and Dailey Ditch Company maintains, operates, and owns the water rights to the Godding, Dailey and Plumb Ditch which draws water from Boulder Creek near Longmont in Weld County, Colorado. The company is occasionally referred to as the Godding, Dailey and Plumb Ditch Company. The Plumb and Dailey Ditch is an alternate name for the ditch. The company was established in 1888 and registered as a non-profit corporation in March 1912. Materials include record books, stocks/stock records,...

Abstract The Section No. 3 Ditch Company was incorporated in March 1870 in Weld County. The company constructed its ditch to divert water from the South Platte River for agriculture, milling and dairying purposes. In 1910, it was reincorporated as the Godfrey Ditch Company. The collection contains the minute books of both companies, which span 1870 to 1986. Also included are account ledgers and stock registers, as well as some legal documents and historical information. A portion of the collection is...

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 The American Public Works Association is an international educational and professional association that provides goods and services related to public works. The organization was created in 1937 by a merger of the American Society of Municipal Engineers, the International Association of Street Sanitation Officials, and the International Association of Public Works Office. The collection pertains mainly to activities of the association's Colorado Chapter, founded in 1962. Materials consist of...

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 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 Ivan Daley Wood (1888-1978) was an agricultural engineer whose work focused on the many aspects of irrigation, including soil, water application, and conservation. He was employed in state and federal capacities for over forty years and held an industry position for another nine years. The collection documents irrigation practices and projects, particularly in the western United States, through the work and writings of Wood and his colleagues, as well as Wood's personal interests....

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 Louis G. Carpenter (1861-1935), irrigation engineer, was appointed professor and head of engineering and physics at the Colorado Agricultural College in 1888. He became director of the Colorado Experiment Station at that institution in 1899 and remained at the college until 1911. Carpenter initiated the first systematic instruction in irrigation engineering, consulted widely on irrigation and hydraulic construction projects, and was also consulted for his expertise in water law. The...

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...

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Jim Ruff (b. 1937) had a long career as a civil engineering professor at Colorado State University and as a consultant with a focus on hydraulic engineering. The collection documents Dr. Ruff's teaching, research, consulting work, and publications. The collection includes reports, articles, letters, drawings, maps, newspaper clippings, reference materials, data, slides, photographs, videotapes, and computer media.

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 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,...

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Colorado is divided into water divisions and districts, and local water commissioners closely monitor their areas. The collection contains water commissioner field books, which detail water amounts in ditches and reservoirs in the South Platte River Basin for Division 1, District 64.

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...

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The Ditch Project, in 2009, brought together historians, scientists, and other artists to examine the history of Boulder, Colorado's irrigation ditches. This effort took the form of three extensive exhibits featuring artwork, photo essays, and educational materials about ditches, as well as a public symposium and a website (http://bcn.boulder.co.us/basin/ditchproject/). The collection is comprised entirely of electronic documents, maps, and photographs.

Abstract Four States Irrigation Council (FSIC), established in 1952, serves as a resource for those interested or involved in irrigation and water delivery issues in the states of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Nebraska. FSIC hosts annual meetings and summer tours within the four states to explore how to better understand and resolve water issues facing farmers and citizens. The collection consists of documents created in relation to annual meetings, board meetings, and summer tours. Materials mainly...

Abstract A civil engineer, Harold G. Evans (b. 1944) served on many Colorado water-related committees, largely focused on policy and planning for Greeley Water and Sewer or the South Platte Basin. Evans' papers pertain to this service, largely on the South Platte Basin Roundtable. Beyond the meetings themselves, the files document water conservation strategies, urban and agricultural water issues, groundwater challenges, and recreational and environmental concerns. Materials include correspondence,...