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Pacific Northwest Pollution Control Association Records, 1946-1976

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Pacific Northwest Pollution Control Association
Title
Pacific Northwest Pollution Control Association Records
Dates
1946-1976 (inclusive)
Quantity
6.5 Linear feet of shelf space, (6 Boxes)
Collection Number
Cage 349 (collection)
Summary
Administrative, financial and membership records, correspondence, committee and section records, and photographs and other newsletter editorial materials of the Pacific Northwest Pollution Control Association, an anti-pollution association affiliated with the Water Pollution Control Federation.
Repository
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection is open and available for research use.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Concerned over the growing pollution of the rivers and streams of the north-west, a number of individuals in business and industry, public health and academia, met in Eugene, Oregon in May 1934 and established an organization to promote clear waters and public awareness regarding pollution problems. The first annual meeting of the Northwest Conference on Stream Pollution, as the organization was called, met in Lewiston, Idaho on May 15, 1935. At this first annual meeting, the members adopted a constitution and elected Carl E. Green president.

From its initial meeting in 1934 the organization has grown steadily from 20 members to over 1,200 in 1975. The organization has experienced a number of name changes during its history which indicated the changing attitudes and concerns toward the problem of pollution. At the first annual meeting in 1935, the membership changed the organizational name from the Northwest Conference on Stream Pollution to the Pacific Northwest Sewage Works Association. The scope of the organization broadened in 1951 when it became the Pacific Northwest Sewage and Industrial Waste Association. The final name change came at the annual meeting in 1959 when, in an attempt to stimulate public interest in the problems of pollution, the membership voted to change the organizational name to the Pacific Northwest Pollution Control Association (PNPCA).

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Content Description

The records of the Pacific Northwest Pollution Control Association include both material from the office files and from the newsletter editor files. The collection includes material from the period 1946 through 1976, with the bulk of the material covering the period from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s.

In all, there are seven major series.

The first series, the administrative records of the organization, is divided into four sub-series: general information, including the constitution and by-laws, past officers, and history of the organization during the period from 1960 to 1970; executive committee and annual business meetings, including minutes and treasurer's reports from 1965 to 1971; financial records, including bills, cancelled checks, and receipts from 1964 to 1976; and membership records, including lists and membership applications from the period 1963 through 1976. Also included is the official history of the association, Clear the Waters!, written and published by the organization in 1976 (Box 1, Folder 19).

The second series, correspondence, is divided into three sub-series: general correspondence for the period 1967 through July 1976; officer's correspondence from 1967 to 1972; and correspondence with the national organization, the Water Pollution Control Federation (WPCF), during the period 1965 through 1971.

The third series deals with committees of the PNPCA. Material in this series includes some correspondence, lists of committee officers, awards, minutes of meetings, and committee business. This material includes the period from 1963 to 1971 with the bulk of the material covering the period 1967 through 1971.

The fourth series deals with the regional divisions of the PNPCA; members from Idaho, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia are organized into four regional areas which in turn are divided into sections. There are eleven sections in the PNPCA. The material in the section series includes some correspondence, lists of officers, and minutes of section meetings.

The fifth series is composed of material concerned with the annual meeting. This series includes an annual meeting manual, arrangement and program correspondence, financial and business information, annual programs from 1946 through 1970 and 1975-1976, papers presented at annual meetings, 1966-1971, a registration book from 1950, and registration forms and receipts from 1955.

The sixth series includes material from the newsletter, such as correspondence (1965-1971), a mailing list from 1968-1969, the newsletter in manuscript form from April 1969 through December 1976, and in published form from April 1956 through December 1976 (with the exception of some of the later issues).

The seventh series is that of photographs of various events, such as annual meetings and awards presentations sponsored by the PNPCA.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply.

Preferred Citation

[Item description]

Pacific Northwest Pollution Control Association Records, 1946-1976 (Cage 349)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The Pacific Northwest Pollution Control Association papers are arranged in seven major series with appropriate subseries. Since there was no general order to the accession, the processor was forced to combine elements scattered throughout the collection to construct the series and subseries. The original filing labels of the material, however, have been retained. The collection has been arranged chronologically with the most recent entries in a series or sub-series filed first. This system has been employed throughout the collection with four notable exceptions. In the Committee Series, the material has been arranged alphabetically by the subject or title of the committee. In dealing with the eleven PNPCA sections, the three states and one Canadian province have been arranged alphabetically. In the Newsletter in Manuscript Form subseries, the original order has been maintained, i.e., chronologically from April 1969 through December 1976. And, in the Published Newsletter subseries, the newsletters have been arranged chronologically in their published sequence beginning with Volume 1, Number 2, April 1956.

Acquisition Information

The records of the Pacific Northwest Pollution Control Association were donated to the Washington State University Libraries by the organization, and received from Gerald P. Calkins, Secretary-Treasurer, in May 1977 (77-22), and from Dr. William H. Funk, editor of the newsletter, in February 1978 (78-4).

Related Materials

Pacific Northwest Pollution Control Association Records, 1974-1977 (Cage 465)

Pacific Northwest Pollution Control Association Records, 1974-1981 (Cage 465a)

Preliminary Guide to the Pacific Northwest Pollution Control Association Records, 1934-1991 (MS 2003.08)

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Detailed Description of the Collection


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