WSP06082

• File Number: 7630.425
• Description: Wild and Scenic - Piedra River
• State: CO
• Basin: Western Slope
• Water Division: 7
• Date: 6/1/1990
• Author: Northern Colo Water
• Title: Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District Waternews - Summer 1990
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

DISTRICT PEOPLE

Records Management Department Profiled

.

Whether It'S minutes trom a 1942
Board Meellng. Windy Gap
construcllon contracts. or historical
C.ST photographs. the handhng and
storing of Distnct and Subdistrict
documents falls under the jurisdiction
of the Records Management
Department.

"OUf primary purpose IS to make OUf
records usable for employees. and
secondarily tor outside researchers.~
said Dave Ayers. Records
Management Department Head

The Records Management
Department IS responsible tor
managing and cataloging the
Districfs information flow Records
are stored in active and inactive
storage as well as hlstoncal archives.
These record areas serve as a daily
mlormallon and knowledge bank.
from whIch employees can answer
questions regarding land deeds,
rights-of-way. and legal Issues
among others. And If the Information
can't be found withlO the Dtstrict. the
Records Management Department
can often track it down elsewhere.

"About 95% of the requested
informallon can be found In a short
Vme In our records. If we can't flOd It
here we foHow up on It." said Ayers

This IS particularly Impressive
conSidering that the Dlstflcfs records
encompass '.7 million pages.
ranging from filmed and inactive
records to the Dlstnct's water
resources library These documents.
If stacked on top of one another,
would reach a height of 850 feetl

Before the RecordS Management
Department was established. active
and lOactlve records were randomly

kept 10 the oHlces of Dlstnct
employees because a centralized
filing system did not exist In 1982 a
consultant was hired to beglO the task
of organlzlOg the DistriCt's information
resources and assembling the
scattered records and documents IOtO
a library of IOformatlOn for employees.
Colorado State Government
gUidelines were followed and new
pohcies IOtroduced lor the
maintenance 01 records. For the first
time the Distnct adopted a retention
and disposition schedule approved by
the Colorado Stale Archives which
allows for the orderly destruction of
records no longer needed.

Dave Ayers Iookmg for Informaflon m
district map files

The Dlstncrs Records Management
Department also admlnlslers a
program to protecl vital records. Vital
records are those critical to the
administrahOn of the Dlstflct.
BeglOnlOg In 1986. the District began

plaCIng duphcate vital information into
a records repository near Fort Collins,
ThiS enables the District to contlnue
with ItS operations in case of disaster.
Countless otller records are stored at
Loveland in the DIstrict vaults.

Over the years the District has
continued to build on the loundatlon
that was laid 10 1982_ Managmg the
Districfs Wide variety of records and
mformation needs has evolved IOta
two full-time positions. Records are
stored as paper, microfilm and
magnetrc media. Legal cases are
also depending more on the
Department for finding
documentation.

The Records Management
Department is also instrumental in .
prOViding Information to Professor
Dan Tyler, a CSU historian currently
researching and writing the C-BT and
District history.

"I couldn't have begun to do the lob
here withOut the histOrical archlves,w
said Dan Tyler.

WIth an Increasing role In the
Dlstf1cfs operallons, the Records
Management Department has plans
for further enhanCing its ability to
manage the District's materials for
employees. These include relocatlOg
the Dlslflct library and records into a
larger central area, computerrzed
indeXing 01 matenals and making
reference materials more accessible
to outSide researchers.

As Ayers points out, .'We have many
unique research materials. Our hope
IS to eventually have those materials
available to the general public. while
Stilt oHeflng the best service to e
Dls{nct employees.w

"

WATERNEWS SUMMER 1990