Water Resources Archive at Colorado State University

Established in 2001, Water Resources Archive (WRA) is located in the Morgan Library at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.
The archive began as a collaborative effort between the Colorado Water Resources Research Institute and the Colorado Agricultural Archive, both housed at Colorado State University, with the purpose of "documenting the study and development of water resources in Colorado." Today, the WRA is Colorado's preeminent repository for collecting, preserving, providing access to, and promoting Colorado's water history. Archival collections at the WRA include engineering, public policy, law, ecological, economic, and cultural aspects of water use in Colorado. The WRA is also a member of the Western Waters Digital Library, which provides free, digital access to primary and secondary source material on water in the western United States.
Collections
The WRA contains a range of primary research materials that relate to all aspects of water in Colorado. The Archive preserves collections of written, visual and audio material created by individuals and organizations that have been instrumental in the development of water resources in Colorado and the West. Collections range from meeting minutes, reports, and correspondence to maps, photographs, and audio tapes.
Through grants and various funding from individuals and institutions, over 100,000 pages in the WRA have been digitized. In addition to providing access to collections online, the archive features several online exhibits, such as the ones on Delph Carpenter and Ralph Parshall, notable figures in the history of Colorado's water resources.
Publications That Utilize Materials in the WRA
Books
• Daniel Tyler, "Silver Fox of the Rockies: Delphus E. Carpenter and Western Water Compacts" (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2003).
: Book draws heavily from the Papers of Delph E. Carpenter and Family.
• Daniel Tyler, ed., with Betty Henshaw, "Love in an Envelope: A Courtship in the American West" (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2008).
: The letters reproduced in this book were written by Leroy and Martha Carpenter, Delph's parents. The originals are found in the Papers of Delph E. Carpenter and Family.
• Rose Laflin, "Irrigation, Settlement, and Change on the Cache La Poudre River"', Special report (Colorado Water Resources Research Institute) no. 15 (Fort Collins, CO: Colorado Water Resources Research Institute, Colorado State University, 2005).
: The research for this publication drew from the Larimer County District Court Map Collection, the Ival V. Goslin Water Resources Collection, and the Records of the Colorado Water Resources Research Institute.
Theses
• Nicolai Kryloff, “Western Waters: New Mexico's Big Ditch and Groundwater in Colorado's South Platte Valley.” M.A., Colorado State University, Dept. of History, 2008.
: The second portion of this thesis drew upon the Groundwater Data Collection, the Papers of Robert E. Glover, the Papers of Delph E. Carpenter and Family, and the Records of GASP.
• Carol Hutton Lucking, “When the Well's Dry, We Know the Worth of Water”: Groundwater Mining in Douglas County, Colorado.” M.A., Colorado State University, Dept. of History, 2009.
: This thesis used the Papers of James L. Ogilvie as a source.
Documentaries
• Nicolai Kryloff, “Western Waters: New Mexico's Big Ditch and Groundwater in Colorado's South Platte Valley.” M.A., Colorado State University, Dept. of History, 2008.
: The second portion of this thesis drew upon the Groundwater Data Collection, the Papers of Robert E. Glover, the Papers of Delph E. Carpenter and Family, and the Records of GASP.
• Carol Hutton Lucking, “When the Well's Dry, We Know the Worth of Water”: Groundwater Mining in Douglas County, Colorado.” M.A., Colorado State University, Dept. of History, 2009.
: This thesis used the Papers of James L. Ogilvie as a source.
Water Tables
The WRA hosts Colorado State University's Libraries largest event and annual fundraiser - Water Tables. Over 200 water professionals, lawyers, students, and individuals interested in Colorado's water issues attended this event every year. The event provides a forum for individuals to dine and discuss water issues with some of the most prominent water professionals in the state. All proceeds from Water Tables specifically benefit the acquisition, care, outreach, digitization projects, and promotion of archival water collections.

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