Weathering Heights
Water is everything in the West and managing this scarce resource is critical. The Bureau of Reclamation's Provo Area Office has worked with water users in Utah's Sevier River Basin to develop a website to distribute real-time hydrologic and weather information. The site is used by irrigators, of course, but it's also popular with kayakers and rafters, meteorologists, government workers, and others.

Making a Federal Case of IT
Being a federal Chief Information Officer is something of a high-wire act, says CIO Online. But these CIOs are relishing the challenge of balancing Y2K, data and network security, IT capital planning, e-commerce, outsourcing, and infrastructure and architecture planning.

Where to Write for Vital Records
Uncle Sam does not distribute copies of birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce papers or other documents that are issued by the states. However, he does the next best thing. The Consumer Information Center has an easy-to-use online list of all state offices of vital statistics, complete with mailing address, fees, phone numbers and tips for getting the records you want. So, if you're working on your family tree, or need to replace your lost birth certificate so you can apply for Social Security, this webpage is for you.

Veterans Benefits Administration
Leaves Paper Behind on Highway 1
Processing claims for America's veterans requires a lot of paper. But then, our nation has a lot of veterans. Each claimant has a file folder; each folder gets fuller and fuller as a veteran gets older and older. But does it have to be that way? Can the Department of Veterans Affairs leave paper behind as a new century approaches? The Washington, DC, VA Regional Office is demonstrating an electronic workfolder system. It may be the beginning of a paperless process.

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