WRA. Water Resources

Abstract

The Ditch and Reservoir Company Alliance (DARCA) was created in November 2001 in Silverthorne, Colorado. DARCA is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to assisting Colorado's ditch and reservoir companies, lateral ditch companies, irrigation districts, and all other types of private ditch associations. The collection includes meeting minutes, brochures, convention programs, and newsletters.

Abstract Friends of the Poudre, like its predecessor Preserve Our Poudre, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the Cache la Poudre River and prevention of large dam projects in Poudre Canyon. Preserve Our Poudre (1980-1986) generated local support for designating the upper portion of the Poudre a Wild and Scenic River. Friends of the Poudre formed in 1986 to oppose the Grey Mountain Reservoir project and enhance the Poudre River's recreational, historic, and educational...

Abstract The Groundwater Appropriators of the South Platte River Basin, Inc. (GASP) was a non-profit well-augmentation company, the first organization of its kind in Colorado. Founded in 1972, its purpose was to offset depletions to the South Platte River caused by pumping of the South Platte valley-fill aquifer. At its peak, GASP served more than 3,000 wells in northeastern Colorado. As state regulation of this activity was modified, the company ceased operations in 2003 and sold the last of its...

Abstract

The mission of this non-profit organization is to 'protect and restore the Cache la Poudre River.' The group comments on proposed water development projects, sponsors river clean ups, and interacts with the media and citizens. The collection consists of downloads of their website and emails. It is entirely digital.

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 The American Water Foundation, formed in 1984 as an affiliate of the U.S. Committee on Irrigation and Drainage, existed for a decade as a Denver-based non-profit organization focused on transferring water resources technology to other countries. It worked to advance technology transfer through training programs, primarily by holding seminars, workshops, and study tours in the U.S. for personnel from other countries. Subjects of training programs included dam safety, canal lining, irrigation...

Abstract Formed in 1901 to take over several earlier companies, the Arkansas Valley Sugar Beet and Irrigated Land Company operated the Amity Canal System in southeastern Colorado. The company became a subsidiary of the Equitable Life Assurance Society in 1910, went through several lawsuits that mutualized the system, and dissolved in 1966. The collection documents the company through materials accumulated in the New York office, including meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, legal and financial...

Abstract The Central Colorado Water Conservancy District (CCWCD), established in 1965, aids in the development, management, and protection of water resources within the South Platte Basin of Northeastern Colorado. This collection consists primarily of bound copies of meeting minutes from 1965-1974. Also included are newsletters, an annual report, fact sheets, and bylaws. Subject areas covered include surface and groundwater quality research, groundwater storage projects, irrigation well development,...

Abstract On July 30, 1945, the Colorado Association of Soil Conservation Districts was formed as a statewide organization to provide guidance for the individual districts as well as to promote conservation at state and national levels. The Association's work has included helping districts to secure grants for conservation machinery, influencing state and federal legislation, and holding workshops to discuss state laws. The Association's records consist of documents created largely in relation to...

Abstract

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 Since its creation in 1876, the Colorado Office of the Attorney General (CAG) has tried many cases related to water and other natural resources. This collection concerns the precedent-setting case United States v. Colorado (general adjudication case number W-8439-76), in which CAG argued against the United States' filing of an application for rights to instream river flows on federal land on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). The United States filed...

Abstract Colorado State University has long been a leader in the West in water research and engineering. The University was a logical choice to oversee the Colorado Water Resources Research Institute (CWRRI) when, in 1964, Congress passed the Water Resources Research Act to better coordinate the nation's water research programs. The mission of CWRRI on the CSU campus was to bring water concerns and problems to the attention of water experts in higher education, facilitate research into these issues...

Abstract Formed in 1882 in Loveland, Colorado, the Consolidated Home Supply Ditch and Reservoir Company (CHS) delivers water for agricultural purposes through its system of ditches and reservoirs located in Larimer and Weld counties. The company and its system, which draws from the Big Thompson River, are well documented through minute books, water records, and files of recent secretaries. Supplementing these are stock, financial, and legal records, as well as photographs, maps, plans, and drawings....

Abstract

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 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 The Records of the Iliff and Platte Valley Ditch Company contains the financial and business records of the company which was established in 1884 and irrigated land in Logan County, Colorado. IPV was typical of many irrigation companies in Colorado and the West in that a group of investors pooled their resources to form the company and raised revenue by selling shares of stock to irrigators. The collection includes several ledger books with articles of incorporation, meeting minutes,...

Abstract Based in San Luis, Colorado, the Land Rights Council was formed in 1978 as a grassroots advocacy organization to protect the community's rights originally received under the Mexican land grant system. The Council has been committed not only to regaining historic rights to the mountain tract called La Sierra, but also to maintaining its ecological health. The collection primarily consists of administrative records, research files, and court case files. A portion of the collection is digitized...

Abstract Since 1920, the Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company (MVIC), a mutual ditch company, has played an important role in the expansion and operation of agriculture in southwest Colorado's Montezuma Valley. The collection includes indexed files, field books, ledgers, maps, plans, and artifacts. Pre-1920 records document the Montezuma Valley Irrigation District, predecessor of MVIC. A portion of the collection is digitized and ...

Abstract Since 1901, the North Poudre Irrigation Company (NPIC) has supplied water to Northern Colorado's Boxelder Creek Valley farmers and ranchers through its system of canals and reservoirs. Today, the company owns nineteen reservoirs and approximately 200 miles of ditches and laterals. The company's activities and system are documented through a variety of material types including annual reports, stock certificates, financial records, legal documents, engineering reports, correspondence, meeting...