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 correspondence, news clippings, memoranda, office files, legal documents, drafts of legislation, and transcripts of hearings. Principal topics include area planning, flood control and drainage, garbage and refuse collection and disposal, sewerage and industrial wastes, water quality management, water resources development (both state and federal), and water supply and distribution.

The James Dix Schuyler Papers consist of unpublished reports, correspondence, and other documents. The reports cover Schuyler's work as a consulting engineer in the Western U.S., Brazil, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Panama, and Puerto Rico. Photographs are included in many reports and they depict public buildings, private residences, street scenes, and landscapes along with images of dams, canals, and other hydraulic structures.