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Geohydrology and ground-water quality of Southern Canaan Valley, Tucker County, West Virginia
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Kozar, Mark D. |
| Copyright Year | 1996 |
| Abstract | Canaan Valley is a popular recreation and retirement area in rural Tucker County, W. Va. The valley is underlain by carbonate and noncarbonate sedimentary rocks. Ground-water flow is primarily in joints, faults, bedding-plane partings, and other fractures in the rock. Well yields are generally adequate for most domestic and commercial needs. The average yield of inventoried wells completed in the Pottsville/Mauch Chunk, Greenbrier, and Pocono aquifer zones were, respectively, 23.3,22.5, and 19.2 gallons per minute. The ground-water recharge rate estimated for the southern part of the valley, based on discharge data for the gaging station at Cortland, is estimated to be about 0.9 million gallons per day per square mile. Approximately 10 percent of the water used in Canaan Valley is supplied from ground-water sources. An estimated 199.4 million gallons of surface water is withdrawn annually from the Blackwater River and its tributaries, whereas only 22 million gallons of ground water is withdrawn annually from aquifers within the valley. Commercial facilities serving skiers, hikers, campers, and other recreationalists withdraw 94 percent of all water used (208.3 million gallons annually). Only 6 percent is being withdrawn by residents of the valley for domestic use. Fifty ground-water samples were collected and analyzed as part of the investigation. Most chemical constituents of water samples collected in Canaan Valley (including pesticides) did not exceed drinking-water standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The constituents that commonly exceeded the drinking-water standards were fecal coliform and fecal streptococcus bacteria, radon, and manganese. Manganese concentrations exceeded USEPA secondary maximum contaminant levels (SMCL's) at 20 percent of the groundwater sites sampled, and iron concentrations exceeded SMCL's at only 2 percent of the sites. The most prevalent contaminants of concern are bacteria and radon. Fecal coliform bacteria were detected in samples from 22 percent of the sites, and concentrations of fecal streptococcus bacteria were detected at 48 percent of the sites. At 67 percent of 50 sites sampled for radon, concentrations (activity levels) exceeded the proposed USEPA maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 300 picocuries per liter. INTRODUCTION Canaan Valley is a small, oval basin in rural Tucker County, W. Va. (fig. 1). The northern half of the valley contains large tracts of undeveloped wetlands, and the southern half is devoted largely to recreation and tourism. State parks and ski resorts attract 1.2 million visitors to Canaan Valley each year (Chris MaClay, Tucker County Information Center, oral commun., 1993). The area is also a popular site for vacation and retirement homes. The population of Tucker County increased 16 percent between 1980 and 1990 (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1991). Future increases in population and commercial development could affect the availability and quality of water resources in Canaan Valley. For example, large volumes of water currently are withdrawn from the Blackwater River and its tributaries for snow making, golf course irrigation, and lodge and park Introduction 1 80°00' 79°45' 79°3O' 79° 15' |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| DOI | 10.3133/wri964103 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/1996/4103/report.pdf |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://doi.org/10.3133/wri964103 |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
