Western Waters Digital Library

Curious about what other libraries might offer water-related resources?  We recently discovered the Western Waters Digital Library. WWDL provides free public access to a wide range of significant resources on water in the Western United States including water literature, maps, government reports, legal transcripts, water project records, personal papers, audio recordings, videos, and photographic collections. These collections have been made available by research libraries belonging to the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA) and numerous other academic library partners.

Some notable digital collections available via WWDL include:

Native American Water Rights in Arizona
A collection of federal government documents pertaining to the water rights of Navajo, Hopi, and Pima tribes in Arizona. (University of Arzona)

Las Vegas and Water in the West
This collection includes U.S. military and scientific surveys conducted to map a route for the transcontinental railroad, records exploring the feasibility of irrigating the desert for agriculture, and records regarding the construction of the Hoover Dam. (University of Nevada-Las Vegas)

John Muir Papers
Here you will find 75% of the extant papers of John Muir. (University of the Pacific)

John N. Cobb Photo Collection
Highlights 340 images ca. 1897-1917 of salmon and other local fisheries, whaling activities, clamming and oystering industries along the Pacific Coast and Alaska. (University of Washington)

There are hundreds more collections to consider.  Truly worth your time exploring and consulting for your future research.

New Water @ UW-Madison Website

This week saw the launch of a new website devoted to highlight UW-Madison's water related research, community, history, and resources: http://www.water.wisc.edu.  

As the home page states "UW-Madison hosts a stunningly wide range of research, educational, and outreach activities related to water and water resources. These activities are distributed across the UW-Madison campus and beyond. Although there are many bridges between faculty, staff, and students with water interests, there is no formal coordination of activities. In response, we’ve developed this website..."

Take a moment to explore the website and all are encouraged to tell us what you think:  askwater@aqua.wisc.edu

Special thanks to Wisconsin's Water Library's Anne Moser for her hard work on creating this useful resource.

Clean Water Act Celebrates 40 Years

This week we celebrate the achievements of the Clean Water Act as it reaches a 40 year milestone.  Through the early decades of the 20th Century, rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters had become gravely threatened by pollution from unchecked industrial sources and outdated and inadequate wastewater treatment infrastructure. Countless waterways across the country were so polluted they were unfit for any purpose.  The impact of this unchecked pollution reached a undeniable crisis moment when the Cuyahoga River caught fire in Cleveland in 1969.  The dramatic sight of these burning waters certainly provided a strong impetus for future legislation.

American citizens then pressured Congress to act to protect our water resources. This advocacy led to the Federal Water Pollution Control Amendments of 1972, a landmark expansion of previous provisions to protect the nation’s water resources. The Clean Water Act, as these Amendments came to be known, have led to tremendous progress in the restoration of America’s waters.

While much has been accomplished, there is always more to be done to protect our water resources.  EPA's website concludes "many challenges remain and we must work together to protect clean water for our families and future generations. Everyone has an impact on the water and we are all responsible for making a difference. Water is worth it."

Resources for further reading:

The EPA Clean Water Act 40th Anniversary Page
EPA's Summary of the Clean Water Act
History of Water Quality Standards
University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute
My Clean Water Act Advocacy
EPA Information for Kids