The collection consists of materials from George Basye, a water rights lawyer who was well known for his work related to water and irrigation issues in the Sacramento Valley. Items in the collection include speeches, legal documents, and articles written by Basye and related to California water issues. The collection also includes correspondence, legal documents, and other materials related to the founding of the American River Reclamation District no. 1 in the early 1900s.

The collection consists of correspondence, reports, designs, specifications, and photographs, relating to dams, dam sites, and hydroelectric power plants in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, British Columbia, and Mexico.

The collection consists of the United States Bureau of Reclamation contracts with California water districts, irrigation districts, wildlife refuges, and municipalities.