Ival V. Goslin Water Resources Collection

Ival V. Goslin served a key role in the development of water resources in Colorado, specifically, and the Upper Colorado River basin, more broadly. He was born in Pullman, Washington, on May 7, 1911, and died in Grand Junction, Colorado, on June 15, 1991. He began his education at the University of Oregon from 1929-1930 and earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from Utah University in 1931 and 1935, respectively. Goslin attended the University of Idaho for postgraduate studies from 1940 to 1942, and, subsequently, received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1944 from Utah State University.

In 1939, Goslin began his career in water resources as a hydrographer for the U.S. Geological Survey, working until 1943 in Idaho and Wyoming on the Snake River and its diversion canals and tributaries. Promoted by the U.S.G.S. to Assistant Project Engineer from 1943 until 1945, Goslin conducted hydrological studies of the Bear River in Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming.

From 1946 to 1952, Goslin served as General Manager of Aberdeen-Springfield Canal Company, one of Idaho's largest irrigation companies. During this time (1948-1950), he was a member of the Snake River Compact Commission (Wyoming and Idaho) and an original member of the Columbia River Compact Commission (1950-1952). He served as Chairman of the Upper Snake River Valley Water Users Protective Association and Vice Chairman of the Snake River Committee of Nine (an advisory committee).

From 1953 through 1979, Goslin worked for the Upper Colorado River Commission in Grand Junction and Salt Lake City, serving as Assistant Chief Engineer (1953-1955), Acting Secretary (1955), and Executive Secretary (1955-1979). He was responsible for administering the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact for the States of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

In 1963, Ival Goslin married Marcelyn Bridal. From 1979 to 1982, Goslin served as a water resources consultant for Western Engineers, Inc. He consulted on conservancy and recreational access issues for Jerry Creek Reservoirs.

For over 30 years, Goslin worked closely with Congressman Wayne N. Aspinall, who was Chairman of the House Interior Committee, as well as with other members of Congress, their staffs, and committees of Congress, in matters related to water development, land resources, and protection of the environment.

Goslin was one of the primary developers of the repayment formula and plan for the Colorado River Storage Project, using basin fund revenues in the Participating Projects Act. As a result of this work, Goslin developed extensive knowledge in complex water project funding. He was also involved in obtaining Congressional authorization and appropriations, as well as planning and development, of water projects in the Upper Colorado River Basin, including Lake Powell, Flaming Gorge, Curecanti, Fryingpan Arkansas, the Utah Project, and the Central Arizona Project.

From 1982 to 1985, Goslin served as the first Executive Director of the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority. From 1985 until his death in 1991, he continued as a special consultant to the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority. In this capacity he led the negotiations with members of Congress, Indian Tribes and various representatives of Colorado's water community that resulted in the Indian Water Rights Settlement and Cost Sharing Agreements for the Animas-La Plata Project.

In 1981, the Colorado Water Congress honored Ival V. Goslin with the Wayne N. Aspinall Water Leader of the Year Award. Goslin served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Water Resource Congress in 1981, and was a long-time member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Water Works Association. He was a member of the Colorado Water Congress, the National Rifle Association, and the American Public Works Association. He was affiliated with the Masons and the Shriners.

As settlers moved to Colorado in the late 1800s and early 1900s, they recognized the need to store water during times of plenty (e.g., spring runoff) for use later in the summer when water availability was not sufficient to support crops. During early settlement, many small dams and irrigation projects were financed and constructed by local irrigation companies. As people continued to settle in Colorado, the need for irrigation water grew to where the size of the water projects needed exceeded the ability of local irrigation companies to finance and construct the projects. Thus, in 1902, with creation of the forerunner of the Bureau of Reclamation, the federal government became a partner with state water leaders and local farmers in constructing water projects to store and distribute irrigation water.

The Bureau of Reclamation established a process whereby it developed the background information needed to plan and fund new water projects. This process operated until the late 1970s when President Jimmy Carter produced the water project "hit list" -- a list of projects in the planning and design stage targeted for no further federal funding.

The apparent exit of the federal government as a partner in planning and building water projects in the West concerned many water users in Colorado. There was a strong feeling that Colorado needed to continue to plan for future water projects if sufficient water was to be available to support Colorado's population and economic growth. In response to the federal government no longer funding the design and construction of water projects, the Colorado legislature created the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority in 1981.

The Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority was created to "initiate, acquire, construct, maintain, repair, and operate projects or cause the same to be operated pursuant to a lease, sublease, or other agreement with any person or governmental agency and may issue its bonds and notes payable solely from revenues to pay the cost of such projects." The Authority used this directive by the Colorado Legislature to conduct feasibility studies on various water resource projects and basin-wide studies in the 1980s. In 1988, the Authority's statute was expanded to incorporate the funding of wastewater treatment projects by creating the Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund to make loans from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants under the federal Clean Water Act of 1987. In 1989, the Authority's statute was again revised to give the Authority's Board of Directors sole responsibility for funding projects of $10 million or less. (In 1998 this was expanded to projects of $25 million or less.) In late 1989, it was clear that the Authority had changed directions from conducting water project feasibility studies to creating and implementing financing programs for water and wastewater infrastructure. The Drinking Water Revolving Fund was created in 1995 in anticipation of the re-authorization of the Safe Drinking Water Act. (The Safe Drinking Water Act was re-authorized in August 1996 and also provided EPA grants to the Authority to make loans.) As of June 2001, the Authority had executed over $695 million in loans under these programs.

In addition to the financing programs mentioned above, the Authority was heavily involved with the federal Animas-La Plata Project in southwestern Colorado. In 1985, Ival Goslin retired as executive director, but was retained as the Authority's consultant and representative to assist the state in negotiating the Agreement-in-Principle (1986) with the Colorado Ute Indian tribes, state of New Mexico, and the federal government. In addition, Goslin assisted the state in negotiating the Animas-La Plata Project cost-sharing agreement (1986) with New Mexico and the federal government. In 1989, the Authority placed $30 million in escrow to be used in constructing the Animas-La Plata Project. In December 2000, Congress approved funding for a much smaller project.

The Authority has contributed other funds to state activities. The first contribution was the funding and construction of the satellite-monitoring network in the mid-1980s. The Authority expended over $2.3 million for 160 stream gaging sites that would electronically send stream flow information via satellite to a central computer system at the Division of Water Resources. Upon the completion of these sites, the Authority donated the system to the Division of Water Resources. In addition, in 1999, the Authority contributed $2.4 million to the Species Conservation Trust Fund, a fund set up to promote the conservation of native species.

Since 1990, the Authority's mission has been to provide an economical source of capital to cities, towns, districts and counties for financing water and wastewater infrastructure.

Executive directors have been: Ival V. Goslin (1982-1985), Uli Kappus (1985-1989), Daniel L. Law (1990-2010), and Michael Brod (2010-2020).