Water Resources Research Institute Records, 1965-1991

Title: Water Resources Research Institute Records, 1965-1991

ID: RG 251

Primary Creator: Oregon State University. Water Resources Research Institute

Extent: 4.3 cubic feet. More info below.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

The Water Resources Research Institute Records document research projects supported by the Institute. The records include publications of research results in reports and circulars, research project files, and administrative records. The research project files include agreements, budgetary materials, correspondence, grant proposals, meeting minutes, and research data. The administrative records consist primarily of annual program reports submitted to the U.S. Department of Interior. A variety of water resources research topics are represented in the collection, including geothermal activities in Oregon, restoration of Sturgeon Lake, the effects of Mount St. Helens eruptions in the 1980s on regional watersheds, motorboat-induced stream bank erosion, inter-basin water transfers, and the impact of low-head hydro-electrical dams on Willamette River fish.

An addition to the Water Resources Research Institute Records (Accession 2014:011) is made up of two reports generated by the Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) and a report on water quality control in Oregon by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. The WRRI reports are "Surface Eroded Non- Point Source Pollutants Entering Selected Upper Willamette River Tributaries from Agricultural Lands" and "The Chemical and Biological Impact of Klamath Marsh on the Williamson River."

A second addition to the Water Resources Research Institute Records (Accession 2014:075) consists of materials generated and collected by the Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) and is made up of conference proceedings, correspondence, newsletters, photographs, reports, sound recordings, transcripts, and VHS videotapes. These records primarily document water related research supported and published by WRRI. The topics in the research include: stream health for salmon habitat, small hydropower projects, snowfall distribution in Oregon, streamflow data, and studies of the Tualatin River Basin. The transcripts reflect a series of interviews with personnel from the Bonneville Power Administration, the Northwest Power Planning Council, Portland General Electric, and the Oregon Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. These interviews were conducted as a part of a project researching organizational decision making in administrative bodies involved in fisheries management and power generation. Numbering 314 photographic slides in total, the images are part of two slide presentations on riparian zones. The sound recordings are made up of 16 cassette tapes containing the project interviews and audio cues for the slide presentations. The 5 videotapes pertain to water cleanup plans (TMDLs), the Tualatin River, and a seminar series about water issues in Eastern Oregon.

The Water Resources Research Institute, which operated at Oregon State University from 1960 to 2000, supported water resources research and technology transfer activities in Oregon. The Institute funded faculty research in many disciplines, including civil engineering, entomology, fisheries and wildlife, anthropology, agricultural economics, and geosciences. The Center for Water and Environmental Sustainability (CWEST) continued the work of the Water Resources Research Institute from 2000 to 2005. In 2005, the Institute for Water and Watersheds became the state water resources research institute for Oregon.

The Institute for Water and Watersheds (and previously the Water Resources Research Institute) is one of 54 state- or territory-based institutes established by the 1964 Federal Water Resources Research Act to conduct and disseminate research on water resources and train new research scientists, engineers, and technicians. Through this program, the Institute receives federal matching funds from the U.S. Geological Survey.

More Extent Information: 5 boxes

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: The records were transferred to the Special Collections & Archives Research Center in 2012.

Related Materials: Seminar series publications, research and special reports, and Tualatin River Basin reports produced by the Water Resources Research Institute are available online in the Water and Watersheds Initiative Collection. Additional materials pertaining to the Institute are available in the Center for Water and Environmental Sustainability Records (RG 226), College of Engineering Records (RG 062), and Research Office Records (RG 170).

Preferred Citation: Water Resources Research Institute Records (RG 251), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Processing Information: This collection is not fully processed; this guide is preliminary.

Other URL: A preliminary container list for Accession 2014:075 was created on or before February 24, 2015.

Oregon State University. Water Resources Research Institute

Hydrology--Research--Oregon.
Natural Resources
Oregon State University--Research.
Oregon State University--Research grants.
Oregon State University. Water Resources Research Institute
Research institutes--Oregon.
University History
Water--Oregon.
Water-supply--Oregon.
Water resources development--Oregon.