For more than 100 years the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has provided earth 

science information to help others understand and manage the Nation’s energy, land, 

mineral, biological, and water resources. 

Such information is used in many decisions 

regarding management and optimum use of 

Virginia’s natural resources and to address 

major environmental, economic, and health 

issues, such as contamination of the environment by hazardous wastes, adequacy of suitable-quality water supplies, nutrient input to 

streams and estuaries, distribution of coal 

and mineral resources, and effects of urban 

development and agriculture on the environment.

Hydrologic and Geologic 

Hazards

Virginia’s hydrologic and geologic hazards have included floods, droughts, and 

landslides. The USGS, in cooperation with 

the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency, is currently conducting geologic 

mapping and evaluation of landslides, 

debris-flows, and flood effects caused by 

flash flooding in summer 1995 in the Blue 

Ridge Province of Madison County and 

other parts of the Shenandoah Valley region 

(fig. 1). Specific sites of future potential 

damage from debris flows and flooding are 

being identified, as well as alternatives for 

mitigation of debris-flow hazards.

Much of the hydrologic data collected by 

the USGS is provided continuously (realtime data) to resource managers, planners, 

and forecasters for predicting and minimizing the impacts of natural hazards. These 

data are obtained at hydrologic monitoring 

stations equipped with telephone lines or 

satellite transmission equipment. The 

National Weather Service uses the real-time 

data from USGS streamgaging stations to 

forecast streamflow conditions on major rivers and smaller streams in densely populated 

areas. Real-time hydrologic data also are 

used to minimize hazards caused by lowflow or drought conditions. Numerous reservoirs in Virginia currently are managed on 

the basis of real-time streamflow conditions 

to ensure adequate water supply at municipal intakes and to maintain minimum instream flows for preservation of fish and 

wildlife habitat.

As part of the U.S. National Seismograph 

Network, the USGS supports a regional seismic network with a station at the Virginia 

Polytechnic Institute and State University in 

Blacksburg. The national network, which 

consists of more than 1,750 stations, is 

designed to provide rapid notification of 

seismic events to emergency services personnel; a consistent archive of standardized, 

high-quality, and nationwide seismicity 

data; and a national data base for public 

information on earthquakes. 

Water-Data Networks

In virtually all parts of Virginia, the quantity, quality, and distribution of water are 

critical to the State’s economy, public health 

and welfare, and resource management. 

Public protection from floods and droughts, 

multiple use of limited water resources, and 

effects of land and water use on water quality are among the typical issues.

The USGS, in cooperation with other 

Federal, State, and local agencies, operates 

and maintains long-term and continuous 

hydrologic data-collection networks with 

the Virginia Department of Environmental 

Quality. The statewide networks consist of 

monitoring sites at which surface- and, 

ground-water and water-quality data are collected and recorded. The data are collected 

and processed by using nationally standardized techniques and special-purpose instrumentation, including satellite telemetry, 

multiparameter water-quality sensors, global 

positioning systems, and water-level sensors. 

The data, which are stored in computer files, 

Index of Subjects

Hydrologic and Geologic Hazards

Water-Data Networks

Water Supply, Availability, and Development

Human and Environmental Influences on 

Water Quality

Regional Environmental Assessments

Biological Studies in the Potomac and 

Appalachian Regions

Mineral and Energy Resources

Geologic Mapping

Topographic Mapping

Earth-Science Information

Figure 1. Flood effects in Shenandoah National Park in summer 1995.

U.S. Department of the Interior a U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Geological Survey

Programs in Virginia

Earth Science in the Public Service
are available either through the Internet or 

annual publications.

In Virginia, streamflow is recorded continuously at more than 160 streamgaging stations, and peak flows are monitored at more 

than 45 crest-stage sites (fig. 2). Streamflow 

data are used extensively by the general public; industry; Federal, State, and local agencies; and utility companies to make a wide 

variety of decisions, including those regarding safe river-rafting conditions, selection of 

future water supplies, flood control and 

warning systems, bridge and culvert design, 

management and operation of reservoirs and 

hydroelectric powerplants, and permits for 

water use and discharge of treated wastewater.

The ground-water data network in Virginia consists of more than 250 wells at 

which water levels are measured at least 

twice each year. These data are used to document natural changes in water levels in aquifers and to monitor long-term water-level 

declines that result from pumpage.

Water Supply, Availability, and 

Development

The availability of high-quality ground 

and surface waters for private, municipal, 

industrial, and agricultural uses has been and 

will continue to be of utmost importance 

within Virginia. Many USGS activities are 

directed at hydrologic and geologic issues 

associated with water supply. 

The USGS, in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, 

collects, compiles, and manages site-specific 

and aggregated water-use estimates. The 

water-use information is published every 5 

years.

The USGS, in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality 

and the Hampton Roads Planning District 

Commission, evaluates the effects of groundwater pumpage on the availability of local 

and regional water resources in the Coastal 

Plain of Virginia. The assessment is based on 

a digital ground-water flow model that is 

integrated with spatial data maintained in a 

geographic information system (GIS). The 

model and GIS are used to help evaluate permit requests to withdraw ground water from 

the Coastal Plain aquifers. The information is 

critical for maintaining a sustainable supply 

of freshwater to meet the continuing population growth and increased demands for freshwater.

Human and Environmental 

Influences on Water Quality

Information on the status, trends, and 

causes of water-quality conditions in the 

State is vital to decisionmakers who set priorities, regulations, and policies for the optimum management of water resources. 

Scientific information about how, when, and 

where chemicals enter water supplies can 

help managers tailor protection strategies. An 

understanding of human and environmental 

influences on water quality is useful to identify quickly and efficiently locations 

throughout the State that are most vulnerable 

to contamination, to identify priority aquifers 

and streams that require protection, and to 

devise appropriate and cost-effective watershed-management strategies.

The Chesapeake Bay, which is one of the 

largest estuaries in the world and home to 

more than 2,700 species of plants and animals, is a major economic and recreational 

resource in Virginia. In 1987, the Governor 

of Virginia signed the Chesapeake Bay 

Agreement, which commits Federal, State, 

and other agencies to work toward improving 

the quality of water in the Bay and to reduce 

controllable nutrient input to the Bay by 40 

percent by 2000. 

USGS information is provided to managers and scientists to evaluate the need for pollution-control practices, policies, and 

strategies in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 

The USGS has worked with the Virginia 

Department of Environmental Quality since 

1988 to determine the amounts of nutrients 

and suspended solids that enter the Bay from 

five major tributaries in Virginia and to 

assess whether water-quality conditions are 

changing over time. In addition, the USGS 

has recently initiated a 5-year baywide ecosystem assessment on ground-water/surfacewater relations, living resources, and topographic and geologic processes that affect 

water quality in the Bay.

The ecosystem assessment will be coordinated with other relevant and ongoing activities to document and further understand 

conditions in and processes that affect the 

Bay watershed. One activity involves a 

USGS study conducted with the AccomackNorthampton Planning District Commission, which evaluates geohydrologic and 

chemical processes that affect agricultural 

nonpoint-source contamination. These processes, which govern how nitrate and other 

contaminants move in the ground water and 

ultimately discharge to estuaries on the Eastern Shore, can be applied to many other areas 

within the Chesapeake Bay region. An 

understanding of these processes helps 

water-resource planners and managers, and 

the agricultural community to develop effective crop-management practices to control 

nonpoint-source contamination in ground 

water. 

The USGS is currently evaluating the 

quality of water in major aquifers of the 

Coastal Plain that are used for water supply 

in the heavily urbanized Hampton Roads 

area of Virginia. This effort is coordinated 

with the Hampton Roads Planning District 

Commission and the Virginia Department of 

Environmental Quality and includes an 

assessment of the spatial distribution of saltwater and the rate of movement of saltwater 

into fresh ground-water supplies. Geologists 

from the USGS and the Virginia Department 

of Environmental Quality are currently 

assessing the role of a giant meteorite 

impact, which occurred 35 million years ago 

in the Chesapeake Bay region, on the location and extent of the salty water in the freshwater aquifers.

The city of Newport News and the USGS 

are assessing the quality and quantity of 

streams and associated reservoirs to optimize 

water-supply strategies. Ongoing USGS 

efforts include analysis of organic material 

and chemical constituents in selected reservoirs and associated watersheds and assessment of factors, including hydrology, land 

use, wetland environments, and seasonality, 

Figure 2. Measurement of surface-water flow 

from a cable suspended above a stream.
that affect distribution of the organic material.

The USGS, in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, is 

evaluating hydrologic and geochemical processes in protected wetlands in the North 

Landing River Basin. Knowledge of the 

hydrologic interaction between agricultural 

uplands and associated wetland ecosystems, 

as well as site-specific hydrologic and 

geochemical processes that occur within the 

ecosystems, is needed to manage this natural 

preserve effectively.

The USGS is actively involved with 

addressing Virginia’s concerns about urban 

development and its effect on water quality. 

The USGS, in cooperation with the Virginia 

Department of Transportation (VDOT), is 

evaluating the effectiveness of stormwatermanagement facilities in controlling 

increases in highway runoff and associated 

chemical constituents caused by expanded 

highways. The USGS is also working with 

the VDOT and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University to assess the 

hydrology and effectiveness of reconstructed wetlands in Manassas. Benefits of 

natural stream restoration techniques, retention ponds, and other best-management practices on stream-water quality in a heavily 

urbanized area in Prince William County are 

being investigated by the USGS, in cooperation with 15 local, State, and Federal agencies.

Migration of toxic contaminants at hazardous-waste sites is a continued concern 

throughout Virginia. The USGS, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and various military 

branches of the U.S. Department of Defense, 

is evaluating migration of toxic contaminants 

at hazardous-waste sites and military installations in Virginia. Detailed descriptions of 

geohydrologic settings, water quality, and 

rates and directions of ground-water and 

contaminant flow are provided by the USGS. 

These descriptions help others to evaluate 

and optimize potential remedial actions at 

hazardous-waste sites.

Regional Environmental 

Assessments

Since 1986, the USGS has conducted a 

nationwide assessment of water-quality conditions in streams and ground water known 

as the National Water-Quality Assessment 

(NAWQA) Program. Five major river or 

aquifer systems in Virginia are studied in the 

NAWQA program. These systems are 

located in the Potomac River Basin, the 

Albemarle-Pamlico drainage basin, the 

Kanawha-New River Basin, the Upper Tennessee River Basin, and the Delmarva Peninsula. The long-term goals of the NAWQA 

Program are to describe the status and trends 

in the quality of surface- and ground-water 

resources and to identify the natural and 

human factors that affect their quality. Communication and coordination with local and 

State water-resource officials are key components of the national program.

The USGS is working with the National 

Park Service to protect and preserve the natural and cultural resources within Shenandoah National Park. Geologists are mapping 

surficial deposits and overburden, and 

hydrologists are assessing quantity and quality of ground water and springs. The geologic and hydrologic information is 

presented in general interest publications and 

exhibits, and is useful to understand, preserve, and manage the Park’s natural ecosystem, as well as to provide adequate and highquality water supplies to 2 million visitors 

each year.

Biological Studies in the 

Potomac and Appalachian 

Regions

The USGS Biological Resources Division 

(BRD, formerly the National Biological Service) provides information on water quality, 

fisheries, acid rain, and priority species in 

Virginia. Senior biologists provide expertise 

and technical assistance in biological collections and interpretation of data in three 

NAWQA study areas, including the Potomac 

River basin, the Albemarle-Pamlico drainage 

basin, and the Upper Tennessee River Basin. 

BRD biologists are also involved in studies 

on the passage of fish, such as striped bass, 

through the Little Falls Dam on the Potomac 

River, in collaboration with the U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers, National Park Service, 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and State 

agencies. BRD is also studying the effects of 

acid rain and habitat degradation in the 

Appalachian region and, with the assistance 

of the Southern Appalachian Man and the 

Biosphere Program, is developing a system 

for sharing this information with local communities.

The Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is located on the Virginia 

Polytechnic Institute and State University 

campus in Blacksburg. Unit scientists conduct research throughout the State on fishery 

issues, habitat modification, and endangered 

species in conjunction with State and Federal 

agencies. Many of their efforts focus on 

freshwater mussel ecology and restoration.

Mineral and Energy Resources 

The USGS Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS) is a digital data base of more 

than 110,000 mineral sites worldwide and 

provides mineral-related information to 

other Federal, State, and local agencies; 

industry; and the general public. The MRDS 

contains information on about 1,400 sites in 

Virginia that focuses mostly on occurrences 

of iron, gold, manganese, copper, and sand 

and gravel. This information has been developed in cooperation with the Virginia 

Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy 

(DMME), Division of Mineral Resources.

Scientists at the USGS are conducting 

geophysical studies, such as aeromagnetic 

and aerial gamma-ray spectrometer surveys, 

that provide important information for 

assessing mineral-resource potential. The 

surveys provide data about the characteristics of rocks near the Earth’s surface and 

help distinguish rock units that are deeply 

weathered. These data are useful for determining the geologic framework of a region 

and also can be used to assess natural radiation hazards. Digital geophysical data sets 

for Virginia are being compiled by the 

USGS, in cooperation with the DMME, 

Division of Mineral Resources, and Mary 

Washington College.

The USGS is completing a quantitative 

national assessment of mineral resources for 

five commonly used metals—gold, silver, 

copper, lead, and zinc. The assessment lists 

and quantifies significant known deposits 

and identifies areas with mineral potential. 

Tracts outlined in Virginia may contain 

undiscovered deposits of copper, lead, and 

zinc and two types of gold deposits.

As part of its mineral-resource assessment program, the USGS, State resource 

agencies, and universities are assessing the 

potential for undiscovered industrial polymineralic resources offshore of the Atlantic 

Coast (from Florida to Maine) on the basis 

of geological, geophysical, and geochemical 

studies. Information in digital and paper 

form assists Federal and State land-management agencies, regional planners, industry, 

and local governments in ensuring adequate 

supplies and optimal management of these 

important minerals.

The USGS, in cooperation with the 

DMME, Division of Mineral Resources, is 

characterizing the quality of coal resources 
on public and private lands. The information 

is useful to regulatory agencies, land-management agencies, industrial interests, and 

academic researchers. 

Acid mine drainage in Contrary Creek in 

Louisa County is being investigated by the 

USGS, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 

the National Park Service, and the DMME, 

Division of Mineral Resources. Specifically, 

scientists from the cooperating agencies are 

investigating relations between different iron 

precipitates in neutral and acidic parts of the 

creek and water chemistry. Such relations 

may help in the development of a cost-efficient tool to assess accurately the acidity and 

water quality of other streams in Virginia and 

throughout the Nation.

Geologic Mapping

State agencies currently cooperate with 

the USGS on digital topographic and geologic data collection, as well as traditional 

map-revision activities. For example, the 

USGS cooperates with and provides data to 

the DMME, Division of Mineral Resources, 

which has recently completed the new “Geologic Map of the State of Virginia.” Geologic 

mapping is currently in progress in the Piedmont and the Coastal Plain of southern Virginia, in cooperation with the DMME, 

Division of Mineral Resources. These maps 

provide information needed for construction 

of highways, bridges, and industrial sites; 

evaluation of sites of environmental contamination; and identification of sources of construction materials. Geologic mapping 

completed in northern Virginia addresses 

multiple land-use and environmental issues 

in areas of metropolitan growth. One of the 

Nation’s first radon-risk maps, which is 

based on the geologic mapping, was completed recently for Fairfax County. Computer 

models developed by the USGS that combine 

geologic, land-use, and environmental data 

are used by Loudoun County to screen potential landfill sites.

Geologic mapping also is conducted with 

National Cooperative Geologic Program 

funds to increase the coal mine data base. 

This information can be used for permitting 

and reclamation of coal mines, coal reserve 

and coal-quality studies, and engineering 

studies related to subsidence and underground mine development.

Topographic Mapping

Among the most popular and versatile 

products of the USGS are its 1:24,000-scale 

topographic maps (1 inch on the map represents 2,000 feet on the ground). These maps 

depict basic natural and cultural features of 

the landscape, such as lakes and streams, 

highways and railroads, boundaries, and geographic names. Contour lines are used to 

depict the elevation and shape of terrain. The 

maps are used extensively for civil engineering, land-use planning, natural-resource 

monitoring, and other technical applications. 

These maps have long been favorites with the 

general public for outdoor recreation. The 

State of Virginia is covered by 815 maps at 

this scale. Digital elevation models are available for about 99 percent of the State.

The National Mapping Program fosters 

partnerships with State and Federal agencies 

to improve the effectiveness of its data-collection activities, to maximize resource sharing, and to enhance the availability of timely 

and accurate data to the general public. The 

USGS cooperates with the DMME, Division 

of Mineral Resources, on the acquisition of 

statewide aerial mapping photography 

through the National Aerial Photography 

Program. Initial overflights were completed 

in spring 1994. These photographs are used 

to revise maps and to produce digital orthophotoquads, which are digitized aerial photographs with displacement caused by camera 

tilt and terrain relief removed. Digital orthophotoquads combine the image characteristics of a photograph with the geometric 

qualities of a map.

Earth-Science Information

Earth Science Information Centers 

(ESIC’s) provide information about USGS 

programs, products, and technological developments to the public. The ESIC in Charlottesville was established under a cooperative 

agreement with the DMME, Division of 

Mineral Resources. An ESIC also is located 

at the USGS National Center in Reston. As 

part of a national ESIC network, these offices 

provide information on cartography, geography, digital data, remote sensing, geology, 

geophysics, geochemistry, hydrology, aerial 

photography, and land use. 

Virginia is the home of the USGS Headquarters at the National Center in Reston. 

The National Center supports almost 2,000 

employees and contractors who seek answers 

to many earth science questions that face the 

Nation and who produce scientific reports, 

maps, and digital products. The National 

Center also houses the USGS Visitors Center, 

where more than 10,000 people visit each 

year to learn about aerial photography, 

floods, dinosaurs, volcanoes, earthquakes, 

water quality, and how USGS maps are 

made.

USGS State representative

3600 West Broad Street, Rm 606

Richmond, VA 23230

(804) 278-4750

Fax: (804) 278-4759

Email: dc_va@usgs.gov

Additional earth science

information can be found by

accessing the USGS Home Page

on the World Wide Web at

http://www.usgs.gov/

For more information on

all USGS reports and products

(including maps, images,

and computerized data), call

1-800-USA-MAPS

The USGS provides maps,

reports, and information to help

 others meet their needs to manage,

develop, and protect America’s water,

 energy, mineral, biological, and land

resources. We help find the natural

resources needed to build tomorrow

and supply the scientific understanding needed to help minimize or mitigate the effects of natural hazards

and environmental damage caused

by natural and human activities. The

results of our efforts touch the daily

life of almost every American.

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet FS-046-96

For More

Information