This collection contains articles, reports, correspondences and legal documents gathered by Carla M. Bard. Bard was an environmental activist and expert on water quality issues. She was the first woman to serve as a chairperson on the California State Water Resources Control Board and later became active in issues concerning the San Joaquin River. Agencies mentioned in this collection include the Ecosystem Restoration Program Plan and California/Federal (CALFED) Bay-Delta Program.

The collection consists of files of the former Bureau of Sanitary Engineering of the California Department of Public Health, located in Berkeley, California (now known as the Department of Health Services), relating to water quality.

The collection consists of reports and papers on various aspects of sewerage, sewage treatment, groundwater and surface water pollution from municipal and industrial wastes, water quality, and sewage treatment systems for many California municipalities.

The collection consists of materials related to Microbial and Disinfection Byproducts Rules (MDBPs) published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which regulate drinking water exposure to disinfection byproducts.