In cooperation with West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Division of 

Water and Waste Management 

Water-Use Estimates for West Virginia, 2004 

Open-File Report 2007–1038 

U.S. Department of the Interior 

U.S. Geological Survey 
Water-Use Estimates for West Virginia, 2004 

By John T. Atkins, Jr. 

In cooperation with West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Division of 

Water and Waste Management 

Open-File Report 2007–1038 

U.S. Department of the Interior 

U.S. Geological Survey 

ii
U.S. Department of the Interior 

DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary 

U.S. Geological Survey 

Mark D. Myers, Director 

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2007 

For product and ordering information: 

World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod

Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS 

For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, 

its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: 

World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov 

Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS 

Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply 

endorsement by the U.S. Government. 

Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual 

copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted material contained within this report. 

Suggested citation: 

Atkins, J.T., Jr., 2007, Water-use estimates for West Virginia, 2004: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 

2007-1038, 27p. http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1038 

iii
Contents 

Abstract................................................................................................................................................................................1 

Introduction .........................................................................................................................................................................2 

Water-Use Estimates.........................................................................................................................................................2 

State and County Totals.................................................................................................................................................3 

Estimates by Water-Use Category ..............................................................................................................................4 

Public Supply ...............................................................................................................................................................4 

Domestic.....................................................................................................................................................................11 

Thermoelectric Power.............................................................................................................................................12 

Industrial.....................................................................................................................................................................15 

Irrigation .....................................................................................................................................................................18 

Commercial ................................................................................................................................................................20 

Mining .........................................................................................................................................................................20 

Summary ............................................................................................................................................................................22 

Acknowledgment..............................................................................................................................................................23 

References Cited ..............................................................................................................................................................24 

Figures 

1. West Virginia population and total water withdrawals, 1985-2004. ......................................................................3 

2. Total water withdrawals in West Virginia by county during 2004. ........................................................................4 

3. Surface-water withdrawals in West Virginia by county during 2004. ..................................................................5 

4. Ground-water withdrawals in West Virginia by county during 2004. ...................................................................6 

5. Ground-water, surface-water, and total water withdrawals in West Virginia for seven water-use 

categories during 2004. .......................................................................................................................................7 

Tables

1. Summary of 2004 West Virginia population and water withdrawals. ...................................................................7 

2. Public-supply and domestic water withdrawals, and population served in West Virginia during 2004. .......9 

3. Thermoelectric-power water withdrawals and power generated in West Virginia during 2004..................13 

4.Estimated thermoelectric power generated, water withdrawals, and water consumed in West Virginia, 

1985-2004. .............................................................................................................................................................14 

5. Industrial, irrigation, commercial, and mining water withdrawals in West Virginia during 2004..................15 

6. Water-use coefficients for industrial withdrawals in West Virginia. .................................................................17 

7.Estimated irrigated acres and withdrawals for irrigation in West Virginia, 1965-2004.....................................19 

iv
Conversion Factors 

Inch/Pound to SI 

Multiply By To obtain

inch (in.) 25.4 millimeter (mm) 

acre 0.4047 hectare (ha)

acre 0.004047 square kilometer (km2

) 

square mile (mi

2

) 259.0 hectare (ha)

square mile (mi

2

) 2.590 square kilometer (km2) 

gallon (gal) 3.785 liter (L) 

gallon (gal) 0.003785 cubic meter (m3

) 

million gallons (Mgal) 3,785 cubic meter (m3

) 

acre-foot (acre-ft) 1,233 cubic meter (m3

) 

acre-foot per year (acre-ft/yr) 1,233 cubic meter per year (m3

/yr) 

gallon per minute (gal/min) 0.06309 liter per second (L/s) 

gallon per day (gal/d) 0.003785 cubic meter per day (m3

/d) 

gallon per day per acre 

 [(gal/d)/acre] 

1.069 cubic meter per day per square

kilometer [(m3

/d)/km2] 

million gallons per day

(Mgal/d)

0.04381 cubic meter per second (m3

/s) 

inch per year (in./yr) 25.4 millimeter per year (mm/yr) 

kilowatthour (kWh) 3,600,000 joule (J) 

gigawatthour (gWh) 3,600,000,000,000 joule (J)

v
Water-Use Estimates for West Virginia, 2004 

By John T. Atkins, Jr. 

Abstract 

This study estimates the quantity of surface water and ground water used within West 

Virginia. About 4,787 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were withdrawn from West 

Virginia surface-water and ground-water sources in 2004, with about 4,641 Mgal/d (97 percent) 

from surface-water sources and about 146 Mgal/d (3 percent) from ground water sources. The 

largest surface-water withdrawals were in Grant and Mason Counties and were about 1,156 and 

1,090 Mgal/d, respectively. The largest ground-water withdrawals were in Berkeley and Wood 

Counties and were about 12.0 and 12.8 Mgal/d, respectively. 

Estimates were determined for surface-water and ground-water withdrawals in seven wateruse categories: public supply, domestic, thermoelectric power, industrial, irrigation, commercial, 

and mining. Instream water uses, including hydroelectric power generation, were not considered. 

Total withdrawals for public supply were 189 Mgal/d, of which 152 Mgal/d were from surfacewater sources and 37 Mgal/d were from ground-water sources. Kanawha County withdrew 34 

Mgal/d of surface water for public supply, which is more than any other county in the state. Wood 

County withdrew more ground water for public supply than any other county in the state, about 

7.59 Mgal/d. The total domestic (non-publicly supplied) water withdrawal was estimated at 33.5 

Mgal/d, with 98 percent from ground water and 2 percent from surface water. There were 17 fossilfuel, steam-generating thermoelectric power plants operated in the state, 10 plants with oncethrough cooling systems and 7 plants with recirculation cooling systems. Thermoelectric power 

used the greatest amount of water compared to the other water-use categories, and water 

withdrawal from surface-water sources was about 3,406 Mgal/d for plants with once-through 

cooling systems and about 145 Mgal/d for plants with recirculation cooling systems. Only a trace of 

water was withdrawn from ground-water sources for plants with once-through cooling systems and 

about 0.20 Mgal/d for plants with recirculation cooling systems. Water withdrawal by industries 

was about 911 Mgal/d from surface-water sources and about 54 Mgal/d from ground-water sources. 

West Virginia had the lowest estimated irrigation of any state or territory of the United States, with 

only about 0.036 Mgal/d withdrawn from surface-water sources and 0.036 Mgal/d withdrawn from 

ground-water sources. Water withdrawal for commercial use was about 16.7 Mgal/d from surfacewater sources and about 16.0 Mgal/d from ground-water sources. Water withdrawal for mining was 

about 9.78 Mgal/d from surface-water sources and about 4.89 Mgal/d from ground-water sources.

The proportions of surface-water and ground-water withdrawals were similar in 1995 and 

2004 (at about 3 percent ground water). Public-supply withdrawal for 2004 was about the same as 

for 2000 and 7 percent greater than the 1995 estimate. Domestic withdrawal for 2004 was about 18 

percent less than the 1995 estimate. Withdrawal for thermoelectric power for 2004 was about 10 

percent less than the 2000 estimate and about 18 percent greater than the 1995 estimate. Industrial 

withdrawal for 2004 was about 27 percent less than the estimate for 1995 and about the same as the 

estimate for 2000. Irrigation withdrawal for 2004 was about double that estimated for 2000. 

1
Commercial withdrawal for 2004 was down 28 percent from 1995. Mining withdrawals for 2004 

were about 31 and 32 percent greater for surface and ground water, respectively, than estimates for 

1995. 

Introduction 

West Virginia has an annual average precipitation of about 45 in. (National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, 2006) and has abundant surface-water resources despite having only 

163 mi2

, less than 0.7 percent of the total area of the state, covered by water (U.S. Census Bureau, 

2006; West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, 2006). Only Delaware and Hawaii 

have smaller percentages of inland water (U.S. Census Bureau, 2006). West Virginia surface waters 

are distributed among reservoirs, lakes, impoundments, and ponds that comprise about 0.16 percent 

of the total area of the state, and in rivers and streams that comprise of about 0.5 percent of the total 

area (West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, 2006). 

West Virginia has a plentiful supply of clean water; however, increased demands and 

development threaten this valuable resource. Recent droughts in West Virginia and rapid economic 

and population growth in urban counties of the state have made it increasingly important for West 

Virginia to maintain an inventory of its water use. 

Water use, in the broadest sense, pertains to the interaction of human activity with and its 

influence on the hydrologic cycle and includes elements such as self-supplied withdrawals, publicsupply delivery, consumptive use, wastewater release, reclaimed wastewater, return flow, and instream use. This study investigates a more restrictive aspect of water use in that it refers to water 

withdrawals that are actually used for specific purposes, such as for domestic use, irrigation, or

industrial processing. Instream water uses, including hydroelectric power generation, were not 

considered. 

In 2004, the West Virginia Legislature passed Senate Bill 163, the Water Resources 

Protection Act, which tasked the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) 

to gather information regarding the quantity and use of surface water and ground water in the state. 

The WVDEP collected information from questionnaires completed by private and public water 

users and cooperated with the USGS to conduct this water-use study. This information, which 

remains the property of WVDEP, was used to improve the water-use estimates in this study. 

WVDEP will provide their findings to the legislature in a separate report. 

This study provides estimates of the quantity of surface water and ground water used for 

specific purposes within West Virginia. The information presented describes how the 2004 

estimates were computed and compares them to previous estimates to provide information for 

future water-use studies. Estimates are made for the entire state and for each county for seven 

water-use categories: public supply, domestic, thermoelectric power, industrial (excluding mining), 

irrigation (excluding livestock operations and domestic applications), commercial, and mining. 

Water-use estimates in this study are limited to freshwater sources. 

Water-Use Estimates 

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has collected and compiled water-use data for the 

United States for every 5-year period beginning in 1950, and for about one-third of that time the 

USGS West Virginia Water Science Center has participated in this national water-use compilation 

by collecting water-use data for West Virginia. The reporting requirements, data elements, and 

categories of use have varied for each 5-year compilation. The most recent water-use data collected 

by the USGS for West Virginia was for the 2000 national compilation (Hutson and others, 2004), 

2
which estimated water use by county and major aquifer for four categories for West Virginia: 

public supply, irrigation, thermoelectric power, and industrial. The seven categories estimated in 

this study were last estimated by the USGS for West Virginia in the 1995 national compilation 

(Solley and others, 1998). The 1995 and 2000 estimates are the primary sources for comparisons to 

estimates made in this 2004 water-use study. 

State and County Totals

Total surface- and ground-water withdrawals were estimated for seven water-use categories, 

for the entire state and for each county, and the estimates were compared to previous totals and 

population estimates (figs. 1-5, table 1). Population and water withdrawals do not show a direct 

correspondence (fig. 1). Population decreased from 1995 to 2000 but withdrawals increased, and 

population remained fairly stable or slightly increased from 2000 to 2004 but withdrawals 

decreased. About 4,787 Mgal/d of water was withdrawn from surface- and ground-water sources in 

2004 (fig. 2, table 1), about 4 percent more than that estimated in 1995 (Solley and others, 1998). 

About 4,641 Mgal/d (97 percent) of water withdrawn in 2004 was from surface-water sources, and 

about 146 Mgal/d (3 percent) was from ground-water sources. The proportions of surface-water and 

ground-water withdrawals were similar in 1995 and 2004. The largest 2004 surface-water 

withdrawals were in Grant and Mason Counties of about 1,156 Mgal/d and 1,090 Mgal/d, 

respectively (fig. 3, and table 1). The largest ground-water withdrawals were in Berkeley and Wood

Counties of about 12.0 and 12.8 Mgal/d, respectively (fig. 4, table 1). Total withdrawal for 

irrigation was the lowest and total withdrawal for thermoelectric power was the greatest among the 

seven water-use categories (fig. 5). 

Withdrawals

Population

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

5,000

5,500

6,000

1.50

1.75

2.00

2.25

2.50

2.75

3.00

WITHDRAWALS, IN MILLION GALLONS PER DAY

POPULATION, IN MILLIONS

1980 1983 1986 1989 1992 1995 1998 2001 2004 2007 2010

Figure 1. West Virginia population and total water withdrawals, 1985-2004 (Solley and others, 1988, 

1993, and 1998; Hutson and others, 2004). 

3
Randolph

Kanawha

Hardy

Greenbrier Fayette

Grant

Preston

Raleigh

Pocahontas

Clay

Boone

Wayne

Roane

Nicholas

Logan

Pendleton

Mingo

Webster

Mason

Lewis

Braxton

Wood Ritchie Tucker

Monroe

Mercer

Hampshire

Lincoln

Wirt

Jackson

McDowell

Wetzel

Tyler

Wyoming

Gilmer

Upshur

Harrison

Cabell

Putnam

Marion

Mineral

Barbour

Summers

Berkeley

Marshall

Calhoun

Monongalia

Doddridge

Taylor

Ohio

Morgan

Jefferson Pleasants

Brooke

Hancock

PENNSYLVANIA

OHIO

VIRGINIA

KENTUCKY

MARYLAND

81 ̊W 78 ̊W

38 ̊N

40 ̊N

<10

10-99.9

100-1,000

>1,000

0 30 60 Miles

0 30 60 Kilometers

EXPLANATION

Water withdrawal,

in million gallons per day

Figure 2. Total water withdrawals in West Virginia by county during 2004. 

Estimates by Water-Use Category 

Surface- and ground-water withdrawal estimates were determined for seven water-use 

categories statewide and for each county. The water-use categories estimated in this study included 

public supply, domestic, thermoelectric power, industrial, irrigation, commercial, and mining. In 

1995, the total water withdrawal for these seven categories accounted for more than 99.6 percent of 

the total withdrawal in the state. Methods of estimating the 2004 water use in each of these wateruse categories are described in the following sections. 

Public Supply 

Public supply refers to water withdrawn by public and private water suppliers and delivered 

to multiple users for domestic, commercial, industrial, and other uses. In 2004, there were 534 

public water-supply systems that provided water to about 1.396 million people in the state (table 2) 

4
Randolph

Kanawha

Hardy

Greenbrier Fayette

Grant

Preston

Raleigh

Pocahontas

Clay

Boone

Wayne

Roane

Nicholas

Logan

Pendleton

Mingo

Webster

Mason

Lewis

Braxton

Wood Ritchie Tucker

Monroe

Mercer

Hampshire

Lincoln

Wirt

Jackson

McDowell

Wetzel

Tyler

Wyoming

Gilmer

Upshur

Harrison

Cabell

Putnam

Marion

Mineral

Barbour

Summers

Berkeley

Marshall

Calhoun

Monongalia

Doddridge

Taylor

Ohio

Morgan

Jefferson Pleasants

Brooke

Hancock

PENNSYLVANIA

OHIO

VIRGINIA

KENTUCKY

MARYLAND

81 ̊W 78 ̊W

38 ̊N

40 ̊N

<10

10-99.9

100-1,000

>1,000

0 30 60 Miles

0 30 60 Kilometers

EXPLANATION

Water withdrawal,

in million gallons per day

Figure 3. Surface-water withdrawals in West Virginia by county during 2004. 

(see section on domestic water use for discussion on estimate of persons served by public 

suppliers). This is about 77 percent of the 2004 total state population, and is 5 percent greater than 

that estimated in both 1995 and 2000. 

 Ground water is available throughout the state. Spring water is tallied with ground water 

herein. There are more than 190 public-water systems withdrawing ground water (U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, 2006). 

Total withdrawals for public supply were about 189 Mgal/d, of which 152 Mgal/d were 

from surface-water sources and 37 Mgal/d were from ground-water sources (table 2). For public 

supply, this was an 11 percent decrease in ground-water use and a 1.9 percent increase in surfacewater use since 2000. Nearly 34 Mgal/d of surface water for public supply was withdrawn in 

Kanawha County, more than any other county in the state. McDowell, Mason, and Pleasants 

5
Randolph

Kanawha

Hardy

Greenbrier Fayette

Grant

Preston

Raleigh

Pocahontas

Clay

Boone

Wayne

Roane

Nicholas

Logan

Pendleton

Mingo

Webster

Mason

Lewis

Braxton

Wood Ritchie Tucker

Monroe

Mercer

Hampshire

Lincoln

Wirt

Jackson

McDowell

Wetzel

Tyler

Wyoming

Gilmer

Upshur

Harrison

Cabell

Putnam

Marion

Mineral

Barbour

Summers

Berkeley

Marshall

Calhoun

Monongalia

Doddridge

Taylor

Ohio

Morgan

Jefferson Pleasants

Brooke

Hancock

PENNSYLVANIA

OHIO

VIRGINIA

KENTUCKY

MARYLAND

81 ̊W 78 ̊W

38 ̊N

40 ̊N

<2

2-3.99

>4

>10

0 30 60 Miles

0 30 60 Kilometers

EXPLANATION

Water withdrawal,

in million gallons per day

Figure 4. Ground-water withdrawals in West Virginia by county during 2004. 

Counties withdrew no surface water for public supply. Wood County withdrew more ground water 

for public supply than any other county in the state (7.59 Mgal/d). Public-supply withdrawal for 

2004 was about the same as the estimate for 2000 and 7 percent greater than the estimate for 1995. 

Estimating Method. —The 2004 estimates for public supply relied principally on an internal 

database of about 540 public-supply systems compiled and maintained by WVDEP from 

information provided by the West Virginia Office of Environmental Health Services, Bureau for 

Public Heath (L. Keller, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, personal comm.,

February 22, 2006). This database contains information on the monthly water withdrawn by each 

system, an estimate of the number of persons served, and the number of residential and commercial 

connections in the system. This WVDEP database was augmented with information on publicwater systems from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Safe Drinking Water Information 

System (SDWIS) database (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2006). The SDWIS database 

6
0.01

0.10

1.00

10.00

100.00

1,000.00

10,000.00

WITHDRAWALS, IN MILLION 

GALLONS PER DAY

Ground water

Surface water

Total

Public supply

Domestic

Thermoelectric 

power

Industrial

Irrigation

Comercial

Mining

WATER-USE CATEGORY

Figure 5. Ground-water, surface-water, and total water withdrawals in West Virginia for seven 

water-use categories during 2004. (Note the log scale on the y axis.) 

Table 1. Summary of 2004 West Virginia population and water withdrawals. 

[GW, Ground water; SW, Surface water; Mgal/d, million gallons per day; Co., County] 

Withdrawal Political boundary Total population GW, in Mgal/d1

SW, in Mgal/d1Total, in Mgal/d1

West Virginia 1,815,354 145.544 4,641.252 4,786.797 

Barbour Co. 15,476 0.347 1.570 1.918

Berkeley Co. 89,362 12.053 8.713 20.766

Boone Co. 25,721 1.561 1.426 2.986

Braxton Co. 14,950 1.148 7.572 8.720

Brooke Co. 24,785 7.363 74.262 81.625

Cabell Co. 94,801 5.468 55.750 61.218

Calhoun Co. 7,415 0.385 0.397 0.782

Clay Co. 10,424 0.722 0.813 1.535

Doddridge Co. 7,418 0.439 0.298 0.737

Fayette Co. 47,049 1.691 38.924 40.615

Gilmer Co. 6,982 0.442 1.077 1.519

Grant Co. 11,537 0.466 1,156.434 1,156.900

Greenbrier Co. 34,886 3.091 5.255 8.346

Hampshire Co. 21,542 1.322 1.442 2.764

Hancock Co. 31,507 4.313 181.746 186.059

Hardy Co. 13,209 0.834 19.511 20.345

Harrison Co. 68,303 0.659 57.019 57.679

7
Table 1. Summary of 2004 West Virginia population and water withdrawals. 

[GW, Ground water; SW, Surface water; Mgal/d, million gallons per day; Co., County] 

Withdrawal Political boundary Total population GW, in Mgal/d1

SW, in Mgal/d1Total, in Mgal/d1

Jackson Co. 28,477 3.796 28.131 31.927

Jefferson Co. 47,663 4.014 10.958 14.972

Kanawha Co. 195,218 2.919 504.818 507.737

Lewis Co. 17,132 0.495 3.897 4.392

Lincoln Co. 22,564 1.016 0.892 1.909

Logan Co. 36,502 1.940 4.979 6.919

McDowell Co. 24,726 4.425 1.326 5.751

Marion Co. 56,453 1.808 45.433 47.241

Marshall Co. 34,722 9.326 714.167 723.493

Mason Co. 25,941 4.365 1,089.697 1,094.062

Mercer Co. 62,070 3.536 8.288 11.825

Mineral Co. 27,145 0.735 3.823 4.558

Mingo Co. 27,389 2.165 5.364 7.529

Monongalia Co. 83,918 6.385 159.738 166.124

Monroe Co. 13,568 0.948 0.738 1.686

Morgan Co. 15,810 1.819 0.954 2.773

Nicholas Co. 26,276 1.231 4.105 5.336

Ohio Co. 45,410 4.267 16.558 20.825

Pendleton Co. 7,897 0.863 0.352 1.215

Pleasants Co. 7,441 7.312 93.403 100.715 

Pocahontas Co. 8,995 0.626 1.695 2.322

Preston Co. 29,856 2.085 107.988 110.073

Putnam Co. 53,836 0.994 56.636 57.630

Raleigh Co. 79,175 2.097 14.981 17.077

Randolph Co. 28,495 1.762 9.544 11.306

Ritchie Co. 10,486 0.585 1.975 2.560

Roane Co. 15,359 0.796 1.536 2.331

Summers Co. 13,809 0.687 3.219 3.906

Taylor Co. 16,202 0.894 10.244 11.138

Tucker Co. 7,046 0.453 17.269 17.722

Tyler Co. 9,365 6.716 13.352 20.068

Upshur Co. 23,996 1.088 5.700 6.788

Wayne Co. 42,515 1.218 19.029 20.248

Webster Co. 9,849 0.569 1.135 1.704

Wetzel Co. 17,048 3.863 21.948 25.812

Wirt Co. 5,835 0.286 0.470 0.757

Wood Co. 87,100 12.793 40.999 53.792

Wyoming Co. 24,698 2.360 3.701 6.060

1

 Numeric values having greater than three significant figures are for accounting purposes only. 

identified 536 active public-water suppliers in West Virginia, of which 340 are self-supplied but 

may also purchase water. The other 196 suppliers purchase water for distribution but do not 

withdraw. The SDWIS database contains information on the numbers of persons served by each 

system and identifies the source as ground or surface water. 

Monthly water-withdrawal information from the WVDEP internal database was incomplete 

for some sites but the water source (either ground or surface water) was known from SDWIS. The 

annual withdrawal of a public-water system that had any monthly information was estimated as the 

sum of the monthly withdrawals, with the missing monthly withdrawals as the average of available 

8
Table 2. Public-supply and domestic water withdrawals, and population served in West 

Virginia during 2004. 

[GW, Ground water; SW, Surface water; Mgal/d, million gallons per day; Co., County; - -, no withdrawal] 

Public supply Domestic

Political Withdrawal Population served Withdrawal

boundary GW, in 

Mgal/d1

SW, in 

Mgal/d1 GW SW Total GW, in 

Mgal/d1

SW, in 

Mgal/d1

Total

population

served 

West Virginia 37.195 151.622 340,331 1,056,160 1,396,491 32.83882 0.67018 418,863 

Barbour Co. - - 1.112 - - 11,279 11,279 .32928 .00672 4,197 

Berkeley Co. 4.949 3.494 38,366 25,666 64,032 1.98548 .04052 25,330

Boone Co. 0.024 0.163 2,106 12,826 14,932 .84574 .01726 10,789

Braxton Co. - - 0.938 - - 8,079 8,079 .53900 .01100 6,871 

Brooke Co. 1.839 3.259 10,271 12,605 22,876 .14994 .00306 1,909 

Cabell Co. - - 14.181 - - 87,578 87,578 .56644 .01156 7,223

Calhoun Co. - - 0.309 - - 3,175 3,175 .33222 .00678 4,240 

Clay Co. 0.058 0.362 488 3,659 4,147 .49196 .01004 6,277 

Doddridge Co. - - 0.156 - - 2,429 2,429 .39102 .00798 4,989 

Fayette Co. 0.668 4.649 7,723 31,117 38,839 .64386 .01314 8,210 

Gilmer Co. - - 0.507 - - 2,738 2,738 .33320 .00680 4,244 

Grant Co. - - 1.057 - - 8,531 8,531 .23520 .00480 3,006 

Greenbrier Co. 2.004 1.933 10,618 11,436 22,054 1.00646 .02054 12,832

Hampshire Co. 0.165 0.427 2,641 6,353 8,994 .98392 .02008 12,548

Hancock Co. 0.923 0.333 13,102 16,004 29,107 .18816 .00384 2,400 

Hardy Co. 0.099 3.573 801 5,093 5,894 .57330 .01170 7,315 

Harrison Co. 0.002 8.717 65 61,691 61,756 .51352 .01048 6,547 

Jackson Co. 0.768 0.821 8,367 9,169 17,536 .85750 .01750 10,941

Jefferson Co. 1.043 1.654 10,734 17,639 28,374 1.51214 .03086 19,289

Kanawha Co. 0.023 33.893 113 181,031 181,144 1.10348 .02252 14,074

Lewis Co. - - 1.353 - - 11,490 11,490 .44198 .00902 5,642

Lincoln Co. - - 0.751 - - 11,140 11,140 .89572 .01828 11,424

Logan Co. 0.406 3.261 3,473 23,819 27,292 .72226 .01474 9,210 

McDowell Co. 3.111 - - 16,441 - - 16,441 .64974 .01326 8,285

Marion Co. 0.059 6.474 833 52,614 53,447 .23520 .00480 3,006 

Marshall Co. 2.843 0.118 23,192 7,036 30,228 .35280 .00720 4,494 

Mason Co. 2.275 - - 18,337 1,930 20,267 .44492 .00908 5,674 

Mercer Co. 0.903 3.181 19,782 28,558 48,341 1.07604 .02196 13,729

Mineral Co. 0.109 1.645 4,772 14,790 19,562 .59486 .01214 7,583 

Mingo Co. 0.236 3.756 573 12,591 13,163 1.11524 .02276 14,226

Monongalia Co. - - 9.980 - - 78,899 78,899 .39298 .00802 5,019 

Monroe Co. 0.321 0.652 3,256 2,787 6,043 .58996 .01204 7,525 

Morgan Co. 0.195 0.536 3,207 3,018 6,225 .75166 .01534 9,585 

Nicholas Co. 0.008 2.290 115 17,917 18,031 .64680 .01320 8,245 

Ohio Co. 1.307 5.228 18,131 25,642 43,773 .12838 .00262 1,637 

Pendleton Co. 0.380 0.057 2,296 872 3,168 .37044 .00756 4,729 

Pleasants Co. 0.676 - - 4,055 1,106 5,161 .17836 .00364 2,280 

Pocahontas Co. 0.165 0.647 801 2,675 3,476 .43316 .00884 5,519 

Preston Co. 0.678 1.043 6,845 9,632 16,477 1.04860 .02140 13,379

Putnam Co. - - 2.184 - - 43,030 43,030 .84672 .01728 10,806

Raleigh Co. 0.422 8.923 23,028 49,661 72,689 .50862 .01038 6,486 

Randolph Co. 0.207 2.795 2,461 16,907 19,367 .71540 .01460 9,128 

Ritchie Co. - - 0.439 - - 5,177 5,177 .41650 .00850 5,309 

9
Table 2. Public-supply and domestic water withdrawals, and population served in West 

Virginia during 2004. 

[GW, Ground water; SW, Surface water; Mgal/d, million gallons per day; Co., County; - -, no withdrawal] 

Public supply Domestic

Political Withdrawal Population served Withdrawal

boundary GW, in 

Mgal/d1

SW, in 

Mgal/d1 GW SW Total GW, in 

Mgal/d1

SW, in 

Mgal/d1

Total

population

served 

Roane Co. - - 0.679 - - 7,369 7,369 .62622 .01278 7,990 

Summers Co. - - 3.138 - - 6,919 6,919 .53998 .01102 6,890 

Taylor Co. - - 1.941 - - 13,494 13,494 .21266 .00434 2,708

Tucker Co. 0.049 0.544 632 3,799 4,431 .20482 .00418 2,615 

Tyler Co. 0.048 0.392 651 4,740 5,391 .31164 .00636 3,974 

Upshur Co. - - 2.097 - - 16,742 16,742 .56840 .01160 7,254 

Wayne Co. - - 3.229 - - 32,031 32,031 .82222 .01678 10,484

Webster Co. - - 0.433 - - 5,250 5,250 .36064 .00736 4,599 

Wetzel Co. 1.706 0.069 10,408 1,291 11,699 .41944 .00856 5,349 

Wirt Co. - - 0.107 - - 2,647 2,647 .24990 .00510 3,188 

Wood Co. 7.596 1.204 65,852 13,541 79,394 .60466 .01234 7,706

Wyoming Co. 0.930 0.938 5,795 8,948 14,743 .78008 .01592 9,955 

1

 Numeric values having greater than three significant figures are for accounting purposes only. 

monthly withdrawals. The annual withdrawal for 31 systems in the database that had no monthly 

withdrawal information was estimated from records used in the USGS 2000 compilation (Hutson 

and others, 2004). For 64 public-water systems that had no monthly withdrawal information and for 

which previous compilation data were not available, missing withdrawals were estimated by use of 

one of two regression models. A regression model with monthly withdrawal as the dependent 

variable and with residential and commercial connections as the independent variables (based on

4,556 data pairs) was forced through the origin: 

Gm = 13,987Cr – 7,816Cc , (eqn 1) 

where 

Gm is the water withdrawal, in gallons per month, 

Cr is the number of residential connections, and 

Cc is the number of commercial connections. 

The F-value for this equation was 21,598 and the adjusted r2

 value was 0.90; this model was 

used to estimate monthly withdrawals for only 33 public suppliers. This equation was not applied 

for estimates for 10 public suppliers because the negative term resulted in estimates that were 

considered unreasonable.

For the 10 public suppliers for which the two-variable equation could not be used, and 21 

additional suppliers, a simple one-variable regression model was developed using average monthly 

withdrawal as the dependent variable and population served as the independent variable. Public 

suppliers that sell to other water companies and outliers were removed from the regression, but 

suppliers that purchase water were kept to represent small suppliers. Data for systems that supply 

10
less than 1,000 gallons per month per customer were not included in the analysis. Based on 415 

pairs of average withdrawal (or purchase) and population served, a simple regression was forced 

through the origin: 

Gm = 3,436Pr , (eqn 2) 

where 

Gm is the water withdrawal in gallons per month, and 

Pr is the number of persons served. 

The F-value for this equation was 4,991 and the adjusted r2 value was 0.92. 

The F-test probabilities for both regression equations described above were less than 

0.0001, which is very unfavorable for the null hypothesis of no correlation. In spite of these good 

correlations, applying the equations was the last resort, and these estimates are considered poor. In 

all, water-use estimates using the described regression equations involved only 64 public-supply 

systems out of 534 that were considered in this study, and the total water use estimated for these 64 

systems was less than 5 percent of the total public-supply withdrawal. 

Domestic 

Domestic water use includes water for normal household purposes by homes relying on 

self-supplied water from wells, streams, or springs. The total domestic water withdrawal was 

estimated at 33.5 Mgal/d. About 418,863 West Virginians, 23 percent of the state's population, 

relied on self-supplied water for domestic use (table 2). The self-supplied sources for domestic 

withdrawals in West Virginia were estimated to be 98 percent from ground water and 2 percent 

from surface water. Total domestic water use estimated in previous studies was 40.7 and 40.4 

Mgal/d for 1995 and 2000, respectively. The approximately 18-percent decrease in the estimate of

domestic water use since 1995 is probably due to population movement, development of public 

supplies, and extension of distribution systems. 

 Estimating Method. —The domestic water withdrawals were estimated by multiplying the 

domestic self-supplied population by a domestic self-supplied per capita coefficient. The selfsupplied per capita coefficient of 80 gal/d per person was used in the 1995 and 2000 studies and 

continued for this study. Domestic self-supplied population is calculated by subtracting total 

population served by any public supply in a county, referred to as the retail population, from the 

total census population in the county. The reliability of the estimate of domestic self-supplied 

population depends on the reliability of the estimate for the retail population (Hutson and others, 

2004). 

Public suppliers estimate the retail population by multiplying the number of connections, 

which is well known, by the number of persons per retail connection, which is not well known. The 

public-supplier estimates are considered unreliable because the estimated number of persons per 

retail connection (persons per household) decreased from 2.55 on July 1, 1990, to 2.48 in July 

1998, and to 2.40 in 2001 (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1999 and 2004a). There were 866,944 

housing units and a population of 1,815,354 estimated for July 1, 2004 (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 

2005), which is 2.09 persons per retail connection. Since 1995, another method was used to 

estimate the retail population of each county because the number of persons per retail connection 

appeared to be changing and was therefore not well known. 

For the USGS 1995 and 2000 estimates, the 1990 U.S. Census estimate of the percentage of 

the retail population for a county (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1992) was multiplied by the 

11
population for a county. The 1990 U.S. Census estimate of the percentage of retail population was 

used for the 1995 and 2000 water-use estimates because the 2000 Census did not acquire 

information sufficient to make an estimate of the percentage of the retail population. For 2000, the 

retail population reported by the public suppliers for the state was 1,400,968; this was adjusted to 

1,303,454 using the 55 county-population-served factors. 

For 2004, the retail population reported by public suppliers (without adjustment) was 

1,493,390, an increase of 92,422 from 2000. The 2004 estimates of retail population were 

calculated in a manner similar to the 2000 study except that the 1990 U.S. Census estimates of the 

percentage of the retail population for a county were increased to account for the statewide increase 

of 92,422 customers by using the following equation for each county: 

F2004 = 1 – 0.819 (1 – F1990) , (eqn 3) 

where 

F2004 is the 2004 county-population-served factor, and 

F1990 is the 1990 county-population-served factor (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1992). 

Thermoelectric Power

Thermoelectric power includes water used for the generation of electricity in West Virginia 

by steam-powered plants fueled by conventional fuels (there were no nuclear facilities in the state). 

More than 99 percent of all thermoelectrically generated power in West Virginia was from burning 

coal, with minimal power generated from burning petroleum and natural gas (U.S. Department of 

Energy, 2005a). There were 17 fossil-fuel, steam-generating thermoelectric power plants operated 

in the state; 14 were public utilities and 3 were industrial plants. There were 10 plants with oncethrough cooling systems and 7 plants with recirculation (closed-loop) cooling systems. 

Water withdrawn during 2004 from surface-water sources was about 3,406 Mgal/d for 

plants with once-through cooling systems and about 145 Mgal/d for plants with recirculation 

cooling systems (table 3). Only a trace of water was withdrawn from ground-water sources for 

plants with once-through cooling systems and about 0.2 Mgal/d for plants with recirculation 

cooling systems. The power generated was about 25,134 gigawatt hours per year (gWh/yr) for 

plants with once-through cooling systems and about 61,698 gWh/yr for plants with recirculation 

cooling systems (U.S. Department of Energy, 2005b). The total water withdrawn for thermoelectric 

power use was 3,551 Mgal/d, which was greater than that of any other water-use category for West 

Virginia in 2004 (fig. 5). The 2004 estimate was about 10 percent (400 Mgal/d) less than that 

estimated for 2000 and about 18 percent (540 Mgal/d) greater than that estimated for 1995 (table 

4). Thermoelectric power is probably the most accurately estimated category of water use because 

of the significant engineering and maintenance required to attain the necessary pumping rates, and 

strong regulatory oversight. 

12
Table 3. Thermoelectric-power water withdrawals and power generated in West Virginia during 

2004. 

[GW, Ground water; SW, Surface water; Mgal/d, million gallons per day; hr, hour; Co., County; - -, no withdrawal. 

Power generation figures from Steam-Electric Plant Operation Report (U.S. Department of Energy, 2005b). Numeric 

values having greater than three significant figures are for accounting purposes only.]

Withdrawal

GW source SW source

Power generated

Political

boundary Recirculation 

cooling, 

in Mgal/d

Once-through 

cooling, 

in Mgal/d

Recirculation 

cooling, 

in Mgal/d

Oncethrough

cooling, 

in Mgal/d

Recirculation 

cooling, 

in gigawatthr 

Once-through 

cooling, 

in gigawatthr 

West Virginia 0.205 0.001 145.28 3,405.912 61,698 25,134

Barbour Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Berkeley Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Boone Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Braxton Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Brooke Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Cabell Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Calhoun Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Clay Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Doddridge Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Fayette Co. - - - - - - 33.429 - - 97 

Gilmer Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Grant Co. - - - - - - 1,153.769 - - 11,632

Greenbrier Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Hampshire Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Hancock Co. - - - - 0.055 170 

Hardy Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Harrison Co. - - - - 39.525 - - 13,584 - - 

Jackson Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Jefferson Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Kanawha Co. - - - - - - 343.855 - - 1,975 

Lewis Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Lincoln Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Logan Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

McDowell Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Marion Co. - - - - 1.916 26.350 653 172 

Marshall Co. - - - - 21.380 537.358 9,101 3,511 

Mason Co. .205 .001 11.380 1,060.197 8,268 5,661 

Mercer Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Mineral Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Mingo Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Monongalia Co. - - - - 18.250 75.052 7,669 420 

Monroe Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Morgan Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Nicholas Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Ohio Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Pendleton Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Pleasants Co. - - - - 11.906 70.736 6,043 517 

Pocahontas Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

13
Table 3. Thermoelectric-power water withdrawals and power generated in West Virginia during 

2004. 

[GW, Ground water; SW, Surface water; Mgal/d, million gallons per day; hr, hour; Co., County; - -, no withdrawal. 

Power generation figures from Steam-Electric Plant Operation Report (U.S. Department of Energy, 2005b). Numeric 

values having greater than three significant figures are for accounting purposes only.]

Withdrawal

GW source SW source

Power generated

Political

boundary Recirculation 

cooling, 

in Mgal/d

Once-through 

cooling, 

in Mgal/d

Recirculation 

cooling, 

in Mgal/d

Oncethrough

cooling, 

in Mgal/d

Recirculation 

cooling, 

in gigawatthr 

Once-through 

cooling, 

in gigawatthr 

Preston Co. - - - - - - 105.111 - - 979 

Putnam Co. - - - - 40.923 - - 16,380 - - 

Raleigh Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Randolph Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Ritchie Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Roane Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Summers Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Taylor Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Tucker Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Tyler Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Upshur Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Wayne Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Webster Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Wetzel Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Wirt Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Wood Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Wyoming Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Table 4. Estimated thermoelectric power generated, water withdrawals, and water consumed in 

West Virginia, 1985-2004.

[Mgal/d, million gallons per day; gWh/yr; gigawatthour per year; - -, no value; tabulated data from Solley and others, 

1988, 1993, and 1998; Hutson and others, 2004; U.S. Department of Energy, 205b]

Year 

Power

generated, in

gWh/yr 

Water

withdrawals, 

in Mgal/d

Consumptive

water use, in

Mgal/d 

1985 80,231 4,207 658 

1990 84,560 3,709 99 

1995 79,068 3,010 122 

2000 92,359 3,949 -- 

2004 86,832 3,551 -- 

14
Estimating Method. —Thermoelectric power generation is estimated for two categories 

based on cooling method: once-through cooling, and recirculation cooling that uses cooling ponds 

or towers. Estimates for water withdrawn for 2004 relied on data compiled by WVDEP from wateruse questionnaires; only aggregates of estimates made or improved by use of that information are 

presented here. 

Industrial 

Industrial water users are factories and other business that construct or fabricate products 

including assembly, chemical products, and steel (excluding mining). This category consists of 

industries with Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes between 1500 and 3999 (Office of

Management and Budget, 1987). Surface-water withdrawn by industries in 2004 was estimated to 

be about 911 Mgal/d (table 5) and was used mostly for cooling. This is a 30-percent decrease from 

the 1995 estimate of 1,303 Mgal/d and a 5-percent decrease from the 2000 estimate of 958 Mgal/d.

Ground-water withdrawn by industries in 2004 was estimated to be about 54 Mgal/d, which is 

about 4 times greater than estimated in 1995 or 2000. Industrial withdrawal for 2004 (965 Mgal/d) 

was about 27 percent less than the estimate for 1995 (1,316 Mgal/d) and about the same as the 

estimate for 2000 (968 Mgal/d). 

Table 5. Industrial, irrigation, commercial, and mining water withdrawals in West Virginia during 

2004. 

[GW, Ground water; SW, Surface water; Mgal/d, million gallons per day; Co., County; - -, no withdrawal] 

Industrial Irrigation Commercial Mining Political

boundary GW, in 

Mgal/d1

SW, in 

Mgal/d1

GW, in 

Mgal/d1

SW, in 

Mgal/d1

GW, in 

Mgal/d1

SW, in 

Mgal/d1

GW, in 

Mgal/d1

SW, in 

Mgal/d1

West Virginia 54.360 911.276 0.036295 0.036295 16.019 16.670 4.89267 9.78533

Barbour Co. 0.003 0.276 0.000497 0.000497 0.002 0.149 0.01333 0.02667

Berkeley Co. 4.411 4.411 0.003612 0.003612 0.644 0.644 0.06000 0.12000

Boone Co. 0.007 0.099 0.000097 0.000097 0.127 0.032 0.55733 1.11467

Braxton Co. 0.469 6.573 0.000028 0.000028 0.131 0.033 0.00867 0.01733

Brooke Co. 5.065 70.922 0.000490 0.000490 0.310 0.077 - - - -

Cabell Co. 2.932 41.06 0.001964 0.001964 1.965 0.491 0.00233 0.00467

Calhoun Co. 0.004 0.049 0.000035 0.000035 0.038 0.010 0.01133 0.02267

Clay Co. 0.011 0.158 0.000083 0.000083 0.022 0.006 0.13867 0.27733

Doddridge Co. 0.006 0.077 0.000577 0.000577 0.015 0.004 0.02633 0.05267

Fayette Co. 0.050 0.697 0.000454 0.000454 0.299 0.075 0.03033 0.06067

Gilmer Co. 0.037 0.512 0.000014 0.000014 0.054 0.013 0.01867 0.03733

Grant Co. 0.109 1.522 0.000442 0.000442 0.093 0.023 0.02867 0.05733

Greenbrier Co. 0.024 2.328 0.000776 0.000776 0.009 0.879 0.04733 0.09467

Hampshire Co. 0.069 0.969 0.000517 0.000517 0.103 0.026 - - - -

Hancock Co. 2.587 181.2 0.000283 0.000283 0.615 0.154 - - - -

Hardy Co. 0.160 15.816 0.001220 0.001220 0.001 0.109 - - - -

Harrison Co. 0.074 7.329 0.000558 0.000558 0.013 1.325 0.05600 0.11200

Jackson Co. 1.944 27.217 0.000430 0.000430 0.216 0.054 0.01067 0.02133

Jefferson Co. 1.265 8.478 0.006360 0.006360 0.088 0.589 0.10000 0.20000

Kanawha Co. 1.217 120.502 0.000566 0.000566 0.056 5.508 0.51867 1.03733

Lewis Co. 0.022 2.134 0.000350 0.000350 0.004 0.345 0.02767 0.05533

Lincoln Co. 0.003 0.042 0.000109 0.000109 0.088 0.022 0.02933 0.05867

Logan Co. 0.056 0.784 0.000076 0.000076 0.338 0.085 0.41733 0.83467

15
Table 5. Industrial, irrigation, commercial, and mining water withdrawals in West Virginia during 

2004. 

[GW, Ground water; SW, Surface water; Mgal/d, million gallons per day; Co., County; - -, no withdrawal] 

Industrial Irrigation Commercial Mining Political

boundary GW, in 

Mgal/d1

SW, in 

Mgal/d1

GW, in 

Mgal/d1

SW, in 

Mgal/d1

GW, in 

Mgal/d1

SW, in 

Mgal/d1

GW, in 

Mgal/d1

SW, in 

Mgal/d1

McDowell Co. 0.019 0.266 0.000042 0.000042 0.751 0.188 0.50567 1.01133

Marion Co. 0.748 10.471 0.000750 0.000750 0.290 0.073 0.01433 0.02867

Marshall Co. 5.716 154.984 0.000456 0.000456 0.147 0.037 0.12333 0.24667

Mason Co. 1.291 18.072 0.000965 0.000965 0.140 0.035 0.00033 0.00067

Mercer Co. 0.336 4.704 0.000272 0.000272 1.178 0.295 0.04333 0.08667

Mineral Co. 0.019 1.906 0.002203 0.002203 0.002 0.242 0.00767 0.01533

Mingo Co. 0.062 0.873 0.000146 0.000146 0.451 0.113 0.29967 0.59933

Monongalia Co. 3.965 55.528 0.000693 0.000693 1.791 0.448 0.23600 0.47200

Monroe Co. 0.005 0.066 0.000546 0.000546 0.032 0.008 - - - -

Morgan Co. 0.646 0.207 0.000042 0.000042 0.153 0.049 0.07333 0.14667

Nicholas Co. 0.089 1.239 0.000123 0.000123 0.235 0.059 0.25200 0.50400

Ohio Co. 0.758 10.618 0.000199 0.000199 1.964 0.491 0.10900 0.21800

Pendleton Co. 0.015 0.216 0.000075 0.000075 0.071 0.018 0.02667 0.05333

Pleasants Co. 6.423 10.698 0.000038 0.000038 0.033 0.055 0.00200 0.00400

Pocahontas Co. 0.007 0.495 0.000193 0.000193 0.007 0.517 0.01367 0.02733

Preston Co. 0.118 1.656 0.000627 0.000627 0.185 0.046 0.05500 0.11000

Putnam Co. 0.129 12.784 0.003681 0.003681 0.007 0.710 0.00700 0.01400

Raleigh Co. 0.810 4.44 0.000492 0.000492 0.257 1.411 0.09800 0.19600

Randolph Co. 0.469 6.56 0.000087 0.000087 0.324 0.081 0.04667 0.09333

Ritchie Co. 0.104 1.452 0.000934 0.000934 0.030 0.008 0.03333 0.06667

Roane Co. 0.057 0.798 0.000151 0.000151 0.102 0.026 0.01000 0.02000

Summers Co. 0.002 0.033 0.000648 0.000648 0.144 0.036 - - - -

Taylor Co. 0.590 8.268 0.000338 0.000338 0.086 0.022 0.00433 0.00867

Tucker Co. 0.167 16.518 0.000066 0.000066 0.001 0.140 0.03133 0.06267

Tyler Co. 6.328 12.898 0.000106 0.000106 0.021 0.042 0.00700 0.01400

Upshur Co. 0.250 3.493 0.000784 0.000784 0.252 0.063 0.01733 0.03467

Wayne Co. 0.152 15.024 0.000440 0.000440 0.003 0.277 0.24100 0.48200

Webster Co. 0.031 0.434 0.000028 0.000028 0.054 0.014 0.12333 0.24667

Wetzel Co. 1.558 21.813 0.000021 0.000021 0.173 0.043 0.00733 0.01467

Wirt Co. 0.025 0.353 0.000319 0.000319 0.009 0.002 0.00133 0.00267

Wood Co. 2.809 39.333 0.001220 0.001220 1.781 0.445 0.00133 0.00267

Wyoming Co. 0.137 1.921 0.000083 0.000083 0.114 0.028 0.39867 0.79733

1

 Numeric values having greater than three significant figures are for accounting purposes only. 

Estimating Method. — Specific site data were used for two high-use sites. Otherwise, 

industrial water use for each county was estimated by multiplying the number of employees 

working in industrial facilities times a water-use coefficient for each type of industrial operation. A 

Harris InfoSource (2004) database on West Virginia businesses was used as the primary source of

information for the 2004 industrial water-use estimates. This database contained information on 

individual facility locations, SIC codes, and employment per facility for the third quarter of 2004. 

Data on employment-per-facility, however, were adjusted by simple proportion to agree with total 

employment, by SIC code, in each county reported by the West Virginia Department of Commerce 

(2005). Data on employment reported by the West Virginia 

16
Table 6. Water-use coefficients for industrial withdrawals in West Virginia. 

[SIC, Standard Industrial Classification; gal/d, gallon per day. See References Cited section for complete reference

citation.] 

Withdrawal SIC 

code

(major 

category)

Description of industry Coefficient, 

in gal/d per

employee

Reference

2900 Petroleum refining and related industries 163,000 van der Leeden and others, 1990

2800 Chemicals and allied products 40,300 van der Leeden and others, 1990

2600 Paper and allied products 38,900 van der Leeden and others, 1990

3300 Primary metal industries 21,200 van der Leeden and others, 1990

2100 Tobacco products 6,100 van der Leeden and others, 1990

3700 Transportation equipment 4,600 van der Leeden and others, 1990

2000 Food and kindred products 4,200 van der Leeden and others, 1990

3200 Stone, clay, glass, and concrete products 3,100 van der Leeden and others, 1990

3000 Rubber and miscellaneous plastics products 2,900 van der Leeden and others, 1990

3600 Electronic and other electrical equipment and 

components, except computer equipment 2,500 van der Leeden and others, 1990

2200 Textile mill products 1,800 van der Leeden and others, 1990

2400 Lumber and wood products, except furniture 1,600 van der Leeden and others, 1990

3800

Measuring, analyzing, and controlling instruments;

photographic, medical and optical goods; watches 

and clocks 

1,200 van der Leeden and others, 1990

3500 Industrial and commercial machinery and computer 1,000 van der Leeden and others, 1990

3400 Fabricated metal products, except machinery and 

transportation equipment 800 van der Leeden and others, 1990

3900 Miscellaneous manufacturing industries 300 van der Leeden and others, 1990

3100 Leather and leather products 200 van der Leeden and others, 1990

2500 Furniture and fixtures 120 van der Leeden and others, 1990

2300 Apparel and other finished products made from 

fabrics and similar materials 100 van der Leeden and others, 1990

1500 Building construction general contractors and 

operative builders 54.2 

Planning and Management

Consultants, Ltd., 1995; viewable

at Horne, 1999 

1700 Construction special trade contractors 24.8 

Planning and Management

Consultants, Ltd., 1995, viewable

at Horne, 1999 

1600 Heavy construction other than building construction 20.2 

Planning and Management

Consultants, Ltd., 1995, viewable

at Horne, 1999 

Department of Commerce were referenced to the North American Industry Classification System 

(NAICS), and were converted to the older SIC-code system using corresponding tables from the 

U.S. Census Bureau (2004b). The adjusted employment data for each SIC code in a county were 

multiplied by water-use coefficients (table 6) to calculate the industrial water use. These 

coefficients account for major withdrawals in heavy manufacturing for cooling water, of which 

only a trace is consumptive use. 

17
Irrigation 

Irrigation water use includes water that is applied by an irrigation system to sustain plant 

growth in all agricultural and horticultural practices. This category also includes water that is 

applied for pre-irrigation, frost protection, application of chemicals, weed control, field preparation, 

crop cooling, harvesting, dust suppression, leaching salts from the root zone, and water lost in 

conveyance. Irrigation of golf courses, parks, nurseries, turf farms, cemeteries, and other selfsupplied landscape-watering uses also are included. Water used for application to domestic lawns 

and gardens is not included in this category but is included in the domestic water-use category. 

Golf-course and agricultural uses are the only two forms of irrigation significant enough to measure 

in West Virginia, and total irrigation was estimated by summing the use for golf courses and 

agriculture. The estimated golf-course use is much greater than agriculture use and more 

confidence is given to the golf-course estimates than the agriculture estimates. 

West Virginia had the lowest estimated irrigation of any state or territory of the United 

States in 2000 (Hutson and others, 2004). Only about 0.036 Mgal/d was withdrawn in 2004 for 

irrigation from surface-water sources and 0.036 Mgal/d was withdrawn from ground-water sources 

(table 5). Although it is only a small part of statewide water use, irrigation water use in 2004 was 

almost double that estimated in the USGS 2000 study. 

Estimating Method. — There were approximately 1,728 golf holes in the state in 2004 (U.S. 

Golf Course Directory, 2006). In 1990, the West Virginia Geologic and Economic Survey received 

responses to questionnaires on irrigation from about 60 percent of all golf courses in West Virginia 

at that time (J.S. McColloch, West Virginia Geologic and Economic Survey, personal comm., April 

21, 1998). From the questionnaires, it was determined that an annual average of about 5.37 gal/d 

per golf hole was applied in West Virginia and that the area irrigated per hole was about 1.71 acres. 

The value of 5.37 gal/d per hole was used for the 1995, 2000, and 2004 irrigation water-use 

estimates. It was estimated, therefore, that there were 2,955 golf course acres irrigated in 2004, by 

multiplying 1,728 golf holes by 1.71 acres per hole. 

The irrigation estimates for agricultural water use were computed by multiplying an 

application rate by the number of agricultural acres irrigated. The values for application rates for 

agriculture, however, have significant uncertainty. The application rate determined by the 1998 

Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1999) was 0.5 (acre-ft/acre)/yr 

(6 in./yr) for West Virginia and Ohio, and increased to 1.1 (acre-ft/acre)/yr (13.2 in./yr) in 2002 

(U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2004a). For this 2004 study, the West Virginia agricultural 

application rates were reduced to 1/3 of the smallest Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey values 

(1999) because it was considered that West Virginia has greater annual rainfall and more frequent 

precipitation events than does Ohio, thus reducing the necessity for irrigation. An application rate 

of 0.17 (acre-ft/acre)/yr (2 in./yr) was used for the 2004 irrigation water-use estimates. 

Estimates of irrigated acres by the USDA and the USGS have varied greatly since 1965 as 

demonstrated by the variation in number of irrigated farms, withdrawals, and irrigated acres (table 

7). The USDA and USGS definition of irrigated acres are related, but the USGS estimates include 

mostly golf courses and agricultural acres, except for the 1990 estimate when only golf-course 

acres were used. In addition, it is believed that 20 percent of the most recent USDA total of 

irrigated agricultural acres is a more reasonable estimate for calculating irrigation water use. The 

20-percent estimate was used in the 1995-2004 USGS studies. It is assumed in this report that half 

of the supply for irrigation was from surface water and half was from ground water.

18
Table 7. Estimated irrigated acres and withdrawals for irrigation in West Virginia, 1965-2004. 

[USDA. U.S. Department of Agriculture; USGS, U.S. Geological Survey; acre-ft/yr, acre-foot per year; Mgal/d, million 

gallon per day. See References Cited section for complete reference citation.] 

USDA (agriculture only) USGS (agricultural and golf courses)

Year Reference Number of

Irrigated 

farms 

Irrigated 

acres 

Withdrawals in acreft/yr and Mgal/d1 Irrigated acres 

1965 (USGS) Murray, 1968 1,500 acre-ft/yr 

(1.34 Mgal/d) 2,500 

1969 USDA, 1994 130 3,166

1970 (USGS) Murray and Reeves, 

1972

1,600 acre-ft/yr 

(1.43 Mgal/d) 2,600 

1974 USDA, 1994 113 1,513

1975 (USGS) Murray and Reeves, 

1977

1,400 acre-ft/yr 

(1.25 Mgal/d) 2,400 

1978 USDA, 1994 116 1,236

1980 (USGS) Solley and others, 

1983

1,500 acre-ft/yr 

(1.34 Mgal/d) 2,400 

1982 USDA, 1994 135 945

1985 (USGS) Solley and others, 

1988

4,200 acre-ft/yr

(3.74 Mgal/d) 

4,100 

1987 USDA, 1994 255 3,132

1990 (USGS) Solley and others, 

1993

0.007 Mgal/d 2

(7.84 acre-ft/yr) 2,230 2

1992 USDA, 1994 312 2,769

1995 (USGS) Solley and others, 

1998

0.01 Mgal/d 3

(11.2 acre-ft/yr) 2,820 3

1997 USDA, 2004 319 3,543

2000 (USGS) Hutson and others, 

2004

0.04 Mgal/d 3

(44.8 acre-ft/yr) 3,190 3

2002 USDA, 2004 408 1,981 

2004 (USGS) This report 0.07 Mgal/d 3

(78.4 acre-ft/yr) 3,966 3

1 Published values are outside parentheses and converted values are within parentheses. 

2 The value 0.007 was published as zero and the estimate was for golf courses only. 

3 The estimate was for golf courses plus 20 percent of the agriculture use from the most recent USDA reference. 

19
Commercial 

Commercial use included self-supplied water for businesses such as restaurants, motels, and 

car washes, but also included use by institutions such as churches and schools. Water withdrawal 

for commercial use in West Virginia during 2004 was about 16.7 Mgal/d from surface-water 

sources and about 16.0 Mgal/d from ground-water sources (table 5). Commercial withdrawals for 

2004 were down 28 percent from 45.6 Mgal/d in 1995. 

Estimating Method. — Commercial water use for each county was estimated by multiplying 

the number of employees working in commercial businesses by a water-use coefficient for each 

type of commercial operation (table 8). A Harris InfoSource (2004) database on West Virginia 

businesses was used as the primary source of information for the 2004 commercial water-use 

estimates. This database contained information on individual facility locations, SIC codes, and 

employment per facility for the third quarter of 2004. The commercial SIC codes were generally 

those greater than 4,000 except for the following codes that related to other water uses: 4911 

Electric Services, 4941 Water Supply, 4952 Sewerage Systems, 4971 Irrigation Systems, 7992 

Public Golf Courses, 7997 Membership Sports and Recreation Clubs, and 8811 Private 

Households. Data on employment-per-facility were adjusted by simple proportion to agree with 

total employment, by SIC code, in each county reported by the West Virginia Department of 

Commerce (2005). Data on employment reported by the West Virginia Department of Commerce 

were referenced to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), and were 

converted to the older SIC code system using correspondence tables from the U.S. Census Bureau 

(2004b). The adjusted employment figures for each SIC code in each county were multiplied by 

water-use coefficients (table 8) and summed to calculate the commercial water use. 

Mining 

 Mining water use includes water for the extraction of minerals that may be in the form of 

solids such as coal, iron, sand, and gravel; liquids such as crude petroleum; and gases such as 

natural gas. The category includes quarrying, milling (crushing, screening, washing, and flotation

of mined materials), re-injecting extracted water for secondary oil recovery, and other operations 

associated with mining activities. Recirculation implies that there is a beneficial use, but 

withdrawals are a fraction of recirculation rates. All mining withdrawals are considered selfsupplied. Dewatering is not reported as a mining withdrawal unless the water was used beneficially, 

such as dampening roads for dust control. Although dewatering is not considered a water use, the 

2004 dewatering estimate was 593 Mgal/d; about 37 percent of this was from surface mines, 61 

percent was from deep mines, and 2 percent was from quarries. 

Water withdrawal for mining use in West Virginia during 2004 was about 9.78 Mgal/d from 

surface-water sources and about 4.89 Mgal/d from ground-water sources (table 5). The 2004 

estimate of surface-water withdrawals for mining was about 31 percent greater than that estimated 

in the USGS 1995 study, and the estimate of ground-water withdrawals was about 32 percent 

greater. About 4 percent of mining ground-water withdrawals in 2004 was saline water withdrawn 

as a result of oil and gas production. 

Estimating Method. —The estimated mining water use was calculated by summing the 

withdrawals for quarrying, oil and gas drilling and production, and coal mining. Coal mining 

withdrawals (surface, auger, and deep mines) include the use for mining dust suppression on haul 

roads, coal-mining machines (drills, augers, conveyors, long-wall shearerclearer, etc...) and coal 

preparation and related facilities (docks, tipples, shower houses, etc...). Water withdrawals for 

20
Table 8. Water-use coefficients for commercial withdrawals in West Virginia. 

[SIC, Standard Industrial Classification; gal/d, gallon per day. See References Cited section for complete reference

citation.] 

Withdrawal SIC 

code

(major 

category)

Description of business Coefficient, 

in gal/d per

employee

Reference

8400 Museums, art galleries, and botanical and zoological 

gardens 

343 Dziegielewski and others, 1990

6500 Real estate 313.2 Cook and others, 2001

7200 Personal services 276.9 Davis and others, 1988

6200 Security and commodity brokers, dealers, 

exchanges, and services 221 Dziegielewski and others, 2000

5800 Eating and drinking places 186.6 Davis and others, 1988

7900 Amusement and recreation services 1751 Davis and others, 1988

6400 Insurance agents, brokers, and service 162 Dziegielewski and others, 1990

6000 Depository institutions 107.9 Cook and others, 2001

5100 Wholesale trade-non-durable goods 77.36 Cook and others, 2001

6300 Insurance carriers 76.71 Cook and others, 2001

8600 Membership organizations 72 Davis and others, 1988

8000 Health services 70 Davis and others, 1988

6700 Holding and other investment offices 56.51 Cook and others, 2001

8200 Educational services 55.6 Davis and others, 1988

4100 Local and suburban transit and interurban highway

passenger transportation 

47.2 Davis and others, 1988

6100 Non-depository credit institutions 31.92 Cook and others, 2001 

5400 Food stores 31.3 Davis and others, 1988

5000 Wholesale trade-durable goods 20.58 Cook and others, 2001

5200 Building materials, hardware, garden supply, and 

mobile home dealers 19.3 Davis and others, 1988

7500 Automotive repair, services, and parking 19.1 Davis and others, 1988

4900 Electric, gas, and sanitary services 6.7 Davis and others, 1988

1 Withdrawal coefficient is based on various individual coefficients in this major category (Davis and others, 1988). 

mining were estimated to be 1/3 groundwater and 2/3 surface water (J.S. McColloch, West Virginia 

Geologic and Economic Survey, personal comm., April 21, 1998). 

The rate of water withdrawals by quarrying in the 1990 study was about 8.5 Mgal/d per 100 

million tons for limestone and 40 Mgal/d per 100 million tons for sand or sand and gravel 

produced, and these values were used in this study. For the 2004 estimates, the 2002 quarry 

production per county (West Virginia Office of Miners Health, Safety, and Training, 2004) was 

multiplied by the rates and summed to compute 2.12 Mgal/d as the water use for quarrying. 

State oil and gas drilling and production water use was estimated by multiplying the 

production by the heating value by a use coefficient for each county, and summing. The county oil 

and gas drilling production for 2002 was used for 2004, as available from West Virginia Office of 

Miners’ Health Safety and Training (2004) and from the West Virginia Geologic and Economic 

Survey (2006). The heating values used for this study were 125,000 BTU/Gallon for oil and 

900,000 BTU/MCF for gas (Beck, 1931). The use coefficient applied was 3.05 gallons per million 

BTU (van der Leeden and others, 1990). About 1/3 of the total oil and gas ground-water 

withdrawal was considered saline (J.S. McColloch, West Virginia Geologic and Economic Survey, 

21
personal comm., April 21, 1998). The total freshwater withdrawal for oil and gas drilling and 

production was 1.55 Mgal/d. 

Withdrawal for coal mining was estimated as the sum of estimates for dust control on

haulroads, coal preparation plants, and coal extraction. Water applied for dust suppression on haul 

roads for each county was estimated by multiplying the area of haul roads by an application rate 

and then summed. The area of haul roads in each county was determined from a Geographical 

Information System (GIS) coverage of haul roads for 2004 (West Virginia Department of 

Environmental Protection, 2005). An application rate of 534.6 gal/acre (about 0.02 in.) was 

available from dust management studies conducted by Thompson and Visser (2002). This amount 

per treatment was assumed to be applied for 50 treatments per year in West Virginia. The estimate 

for dust control on haul roads was 1.03 Mgal/d. From questionnaires, the 2004 total withdrawal for 

coal preparation plants was estimated to be 9.48 Mgal/d. Coal extraction was estimated to have the 

smallest withdrawals in coal mining, at 0.50 Mgal/d for the state. The 2004 total estimate for coal 

mining was 11.0 Mgal/d (1.03 Mgal/d for haulroads, plus 9.48 Mgal/d for coal preparation plants, 

plus 0.5 Mgal/d for coal extraction), and withdrawals were allocated to counties by coal production 

(West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health Safety and Training, 2006). 

The total withdrawal for mining in 2004 was about 14.7 Mgal/d (2.12 Mgal/d for quarrying, 

plus 1.55 Mgal/d for oil and gas drilling and production, plus 11.0 Mgal/d for coal mining), and 

was about 4.9 Mgal/d from ground-water sources (1/3 of the total) and about 9.80 Mgal/d from 

surface-water sources (2/3 of the total). The 9.48 Mgal/d for coal preparation plants accounted for 

about 65 percent of the total withdrawal for mining. The 14.7 Mgal/d total mining withdrawal 

represented a 32-percent increase since 1995 (Solley and others, 1998). The total withdrawal for 

quarrying and coal mining in 1995 of 10.1 Mgal/d (separate estimates were not available from 

Solley and others, 1998) increased by 30 percent to 13.13 Mgal/d in 2004. 

Summary 

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the West Virginia Department of 

Environmental Protection (WVDEP), estimated the quantity of surface water and ground water 

used within West Virginia, for the entire state and each county, and for seven water-use categories: 

public supply, domestic, thermoelectric power, industrial, irrigation, commercial, and mining. 

Instream water uses, including hydroelectric power generation, were not considered. 

About 4,787 Mgal/d of water were withdrawn from surface-water and ground-water sources 

in 2004, with about 4,641 Mgal/d (97 percent) from surface-water sources and about 146 Mgal/d (3 

percent) from ground water. The largest surface-water withdrawals were in Grant and Mason 

Counties of about 1,156 Mgal/d and 1,090 Mgal/d, respectively. The largest ground-water 

withdrawals were in Berkeley and Wood Counties of about 12.0 and 12.8 Mgal/d, respectively. The 

proportions of surface-water and ground-water withdrawals were similar in 1995 and 2004. 

Total withdrawals for public supply were 189 Mgal/d, of which 152 Mgal/d were from 

surface-water sources and 37 Mgal/d were from ground-water sources. Kanawha County withdrew 

34 Mgal/d, which was more surface water for public supply than any other county in the state. 

Wood County withdrew 7.59 Mgal/d, which was more ground water for public supply than any 

other county in the state. Estimates were made by summing data available in a WVDEP internal

database augmented with estimates based on information from USEPA, SDWIS database (U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, 2006). Public-supply withdrawal for 2004 was about the same 

as the 2000 withdrawal and increased 7 percent from 1995. 

The total domestic water withdrawal was estimated at 33.5 Mgal/d, with 98 percent from 

ground water and 2 percent from surface water. Estimates were made by multiplying domestic self22
supplied population by a domestic self-supplied per capita coefficient where the domestic selfsupplied population equaled the total population minus the retail population. The retail population 

was estimated as the suppliers’ percentage of the total declared retail population for a county 

multiplied by the 2004-adjusted 1990 U.S. Census percentage of that county on public supply by 

the population for that county. Domestic withdrawal for 2004 was about 18 percent less than 

estimates for 1995. 

There were 17 fossil-fuel, steam-generating thermoelectric power plants operated in the 

state in 2004, 10 plants with once-through cooling systems and 7 plants with recirculation cooling 

systems. Water withdrawal from surface-water sources was about 3,406 Mgal/d for plants with 

once-through cooling systems and about 145 Mgal/d for plants with recirculation cooling systems. 

Water withdrawal from ground-water sources was only a trace for plants with once-through cooling 

systems and about 0.20 Mgal/d for plants with recirculation cooling systems. Thermoelectric power 

used the greatest amount of water compared to the other water-use categories. Reported flows from 

WVDEP questionnaires provided the information on total withdrawals for this category. 

Withdrawals for thermoelectric power for 2004 were about 10 percent less than estimates for 2000 

and about 18 percent greater than estimates for 1995. 

Water withdrawal by industries was about 911 Mgal/d from surface-water sources, mostly 

used for cooling, and was about 54 Mgal/d from ground-water sources. Estimates were made by

converting employment data organized by NAICS codes into SIC code categories and multiplying 

by water-use coefficients for SIC code categories. Withdrawals decreased from 1316 Mgal/d in 

1995 to 968 Mgal/d in 2000, then to 965 Mgal/d in 2004. Industrial withdrawal for 2004 was about 

27 percent less than estimates for 1995 and about the same as the estimate for 2000. 

West Virginia has the lowest estimated irrigation of any state or territory of the United 

States. Only about 0.036 Mgal/d were withdrawn from surface-water sources and 0.036 Mgal/d 

were withdrawn from ground-water sources for irrigation during 2004. Estimates were made by 

summing the use for golf courses and agriculture. Golf-course estimates were made based on 

responses to a 1990 questionnaire. Agriculture estimates were based on an application rate of 33 

percent of the Ohio irrigation rate, and were estimated at 0.17 (acre-ft/acre)/yr (2 in./yr). Irrigation 

withdrawals for 2004 were about double that estimated for 2000. 

Water withdrawal for commercial use was about 16.7 Mgal/d from surface-water sources 

and about 16.0 Mgal/d from ground-water sources. As in the industrial category, estimates were 

made by multiplying employment data converted from the NAICS to SIC codes by water-use 

coefficients. Estimated withdrawals decreased about 28 percent from 45.6 Mgal/d in 1995 to 32.7 

Mgal/d in 2004. Commercial withdrawals for 2004 were down 28 percent from 1995. 

Water withdrawal for mining was about 9.78 Mgal/d from surface-water sources and about 

4.89 Mgal/d from ground-water sources. Mining withdrawals for 2004 were about 31 and 32 

percent greater for surface- and ground-water, respectively, than estimates for 1995. 

Acknowledgment 

The author recognizes Jane S. McColloch of the West Virginia Geologic and Economic 

Survey for data used in previous studies and mentoring for this study. 

23
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27