Water Quality in the Kanawha–New River Basin West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina, 1996–98

By Katherine S. Paybins, Terence Messinger, James H. Eychaner, Douglas B. Chambers, and Mark D. Kozar

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 1204

The full report is available in pdf.  Links to the pdf.

A contribution of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program

• NATIONAL WATER–QUALITY ASSESSMENT PROGRAM
• SUMMARY OF MAJOR FINDINGS
  • Stream and River Highlights
  • Ground-Water Highlights
• INTRODUCTION TO THE KANAWHA–NEW RIVER BASIN
• MAJOR FINDINGS
  • Persistent changes in water chemistry and aquatic biology are evident in coal-mined areas
    • REGIONAL STUDY—Sulfate concentrations and biological communities in Appalachian coal fields indicated mining-related disturbances despite a general water-quality improvement between 1980 and 1998
    • NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE—Effects of mining on invertebrate communities were of similar magnitude as the effects caused by urban development and agriculture nationally
  • Some contaminants are widespread and present at potentially harmful concentrations in streambed sediment and fish tissue
  • Fish communities differ considerably throughout the basin, but non-native species continue to expand their range
  • High concentrations of fecal bacteria remain in streams if sources are close
  • Nutrient and organic-chemical concentrations in surface water are low in most of the basin
  • Radon concentrations and bacterial contamination are the principal ground-water-quality concerns
    • NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE—Radon concentrations in ground water were among the highest in the Nation
• STUDY UNIT DESIGN
• APPENDIX—WATER-QUALITY DATA FROM THE KANAWHA–NEW RIVER BASIN IN A NATIONAL CONTEXT
  • Chemicals in water
  • Chemicals in fish tissue and bed sediment
  • Biological indicators
• References
• A Coordinated Effort
• Glossary