The science of hydrology deals with the properties, distribution, and circulation of water on the surface of land, in the soil and underlying rocks, and in the atmosphere. The hydrologic cycle is the continual flow of water from the ocean to the atmosphere, then to the land, and after several delays, back to the atmosphere. Nearly every human enterprise on land modifies the hydrologic cycle in some way. When plowing land, cutting forests, building dams and reservoirs, draining swamps and wetlands, creating cities, and paving highways, the exchange of moisture between land and atmosphere is altered. By adding pollutants to the atmosphere precipitation patterns are modified.
Rain is common, it flows downhill, and everyone is surrounded by hills and mountains.
Wild and beautiful streams and rivers make their way through lush, verdant forests and thickets of rhododendron and mountain laurel. The waters are an angler's paradise, a gift to whitewater adventurers and kayakers, and a retreat for those seeking solitude. West Virginia has 32 hydrologic zones encompassing 342 separate watersheds.