The James N. Dornbush Papers document the career of James N. Dornbush as a professor of civil engineering at South Dakota State University and as an environmental engineering consultant through Dorand Engineering Services. The collection highlights Dornbush’s contributions to water pollution control, sanitary engineering, and wastewater treatment in South Dakota and the northern Great Plains.
A substantial portion of the collection relates to the Big Stone Power Plant and Dornbush’s experiments in water monitoring and pollution control. These records include annual and quarterly reports, field files, groundwater and surface water sampling data, laboratory analyses, cooling pond and Minnesota River studies, civil engineering blueprints, geotechnical studies, correspondence, and progress reports spanning the late 1960s through the early 1980s. These materials reflect the monitoring and evaluation of environmental impacts associated with a major regional power facility.
The Dorand Engineering Services records document Dornbush’s independent consulting work for municipalities, industries, and tribal entities. The bulk of this series includes files on Chef Reddy Foods, Fairfield Products, McCain Foods, and the City of Watertown, South Dakota. Other consulting projects cover wastewater stabilization ponds, landfill assessments, aquifer protection, and litigation support across the region. Records consist of reports, data sets, correspondence, maps, blueprints, and legal documentation.
Collected material in the papers consists of technical reports, researcher abstracts, city and county planning documents, Environmental Protection Agency manuals, aquifer and soil surveys, and environmental impact statements. Included are materials on the Garrison Diversion Unit, OAHE Unit, James River planning, Missouri Basin water development, and symposia proceedings. Long runs of professional newsletters and journals, such as the Clarifier and Opflow, provide additional context for developments in sanitary engineering.
The collection also contains Dornbush’s personal and academic papers, including university correspondence, class lectures, research data, charts, and student theses and oral examinations. Materials from conferences and seminars, including the Operators Short Courses, illustrate Dornbush’s role in professional training and community outreach. Together, these records provide a comprehensive view of Dornbush’s work at the intersection of engineering research, teaching, consulting, and environmental regulation during a period of expanding public concern with water quality and pollution control.
