National Public Radio (NPR) is currently presenting a series of reports on water in the West. To date, the series includes accounts of the politics of water in California's Central Valley; reconciliation on water restrictions in the face of persistent drought; a city without water meters, and the struggle to regulate use; and the harsh realities of rationed water in one northern California town.

The current series is something of a reprise. In 2003, NPR explored a similar theme in a four-episode series on water in the West. That series is now archived at NPR's website, along with a terrific list of suggested readings. With one exception, every title is available for your use, either in the Western History & Genealogy Department or DPL's circulating collection. And we've just ordered the exception.

On another, water-related note, late last year our department's reference librarians worked with a steady stream of University of Denver law students. What brought them to the Western History & Genealogy Department? The only copy of Rick Bastasch's The Oregon water handbook: a guide to water and water management (2006) in the region. The students had been assigned to check citations from the work for a forthcoming article on water law.

Come on in and get your feet wet!