It was established to collect unique, hard-to-find, technical report materials pertaining to all aspects of water resources and supply in California and the American West.
This extensive coverage is due to the generous donations of archival and print materials from UC professors, hydrologists, the staff of various government agencies and private donors.
[4] WRCA is the premier library of its kind in the United States, specifically collecting contemporary and historic material, technical reports, and gray literature on water resources development in California and the West.
Some highlights include the papers of engineers and attorneys such as Joseph B. Lippincott, Hans Albert Einstein, Frank Adams, Charles Derleth, John S. Eastwood, John D. Galloway, Sidney T. Harding, Walter L. Huber, Edward Hyatt, Joe W. Johnson, Robert Kelley, Bernard Etcheverry, Harvey Oren Banks, Milton N. Nathanson, Luna Leopold and Murrough P. O'Brien, amongst others.
WRCA also holds institutional and legal records from numerous organizations, including Mono Lake Committee, California Department of Water Resources, East Bay Municipal Utilities District, and the Berkeley Creeks Task Force.