Water archive needs a new home

Reports, maps and photos documenting the lively and sometimes contentious history of California water need a new home following UC ANR vice president Dan Dooley's decision to move the collection out of UC Berkeley, the Sacramento Bee reported today.

Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis and professor of environmental engineering, Jay Lund, said he would like to see the library moved to Sacramento or Davis.

"So long as it's available for people who need to go and do serious in-depth research, the market for that kind of an archive is more in Northern California, with the center of gravity being more around Sacramento," the story quoted Lund, a member of the archive advisory board.

Dooley told Bee reporter Matt Weiser that the decision to move the archive was made to achieve budget savings. The archive's $230,000 annual cost covers the salaries of four full-time employees who manage the library.

A former water attorney, Dooley said he understands the importance of the archive and is confident it will find a home, according to the article. He has called a Nov. 6 meeting of advisers to discuss its future.

"It's clearly a valuable resource and one that we really should make every effort to maintain for future generations," Dooley was quoted.

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