Hydrology Research Center
Background 
The Hydrogeology Research Center (HRC) is West Virginia University's (WVU's) center for academic research in hydrogeology, geochemistry, and hydrology, established as part of the West Virginia Water Research Institute in 2001. Its focus is on applied water research problems, often in areas of mining or karst occurrence, within West Virginia and the mid-Appalachian region, including water availability, contamination, and development. The HRC has full time researchers as well as research associates and graduate students from both within and outside WVU. Most HRC projects are collaborative with local and state partners.
Joseph Donovan, Associate Professor
Department of Geology, West Virginia University
donovan@geo.wvu.edu
Dorothy Vesper, Assistant Professor
Department of Geology, West Virginia University
dvesper@geo.wvu.edu
Eb Werner, Research Hydrologist
werner@geo.wvu.edu
Projects
- Martinsburg Karst Study
Hydraulic Connections and Impacts on the Water Supply in the Great Valley Karst Aquifer. A Case Study in Martinsburg, WV
Dorothy Vesper, Assistant Professor, Geology, West Virginia University and
Joseph Donovan, Associate Professor, Geology, West Virginia University
This project, supported by the West Virginia Water Research Institute with U.S. Geological Survey funds, is a one-year study of karst aquifer characteristics in the Martinsburg area. It is commonly understood that ground water in karst aquifers resides in three different types of porosity components: conduits, fractures (channels), and the rock matrix. Understanding the connections between these components is problematic but it is essential if the water resource is to be quantified.
The purpose of this project is to evaluate the connections between different porosity components in the Martinsburg area using automated hydraulic and chemical measurements. Martinsburg is an ideal location of this due to the presence of four springs, an active quarry, and an inactive quarry within a two-mile radius (see map). By using different "windows" into the aquifer, we will attempt to identify which porosity components are present, how they are connected, and what their relationship is to the local water supply. Check back later for the final report expected to be completed in June, 2005.
- Great Valley Karst Study
Urbanization and Climate Change Impacts on the Great Valley Karst Aquifer, West Virginia-Virginia
Joseph Donovan, Associate Professor, Geology, West Virginia University and
Dorothy Vesper, Assistant Professor, Geology, West Virginia University
This two-year project, funded by the USDA National Research Institute, is a regional look at water resources in the Great Valley and includes locations through Berkeley and Jefferson counties, West Virginia. The overall framework is intended to address three questions: 1) is demand or drought the dominant natural signal in springs? 2) How do springs fit into the greater hydraulic framework? and 3) At what scale do ground water models reasonably reflect both regional watershed and local point-of-use hydrology?
Activities included in this project are long-term state and chemical monitoring of springs in both counties, a water quality assessment of the springs, and development of the ground water model. The Tuscarora Creek Watershed is one focus of the work and allows us to examine numerous springs in the same watershed but in different geologic formations. Two of the Martinsburg-area springs are also part of this watershed. Check back later for the final report expected to be completed in fall 2005.
- Hydrogeology of the Cacapon Mountain Anticline
Hydrogeology of the Cacapon Mountain Anticline
Dorothy Vesper, Assistant Professor, Geology, West Virginia University,
Joseph Donovan, Associate Professor, Geology, West Virginia University, and
Lacoa Corder, Graduate Research Assistant, Geology, West Virginia University
Groundwater in the area around Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, occurs either in fractured Devonian clastic rocks younger than the Devonian Oriskany sandstone, or in carbonate and clastic aquifers stratigraphically below the Oriskany. Like many communities in th Eastern Panhandle, the Berkeley Springs area is seeing growth and needs to identify future potential water supplies. In Morgan County, a graduate student (Lacoa Corder) is working with Vesper and Donovan to identify the boundaries of aquifers below the Oriskany, identify locations to sample wells and springs, and monitor spring flows and chemistry to identify seasonal trends and aquifer mass balance. This project is in cooperation with the Morgan County Rural Water Committee and Eastern Panhandle Conservation.
- Hydrogeology of the Sweet Springs Valley
Indian Creek Watershed, Monroe County, West Virginia Project
Tamara Vandivort, Program Coordinator, West Virginia Water Research Institute,
Joseph Donovan, Associate Professor, Geology, West Virginia University,
Joyce McConnell, Professor, Law, West Virginia University,
Dorothy Vesper, Assistant Professor, Geology, West Virginia University
The Indian Creek Watershed, Monroe County, West Virginia project is a joint study with the West Virginia Water Research Institute, Hydrology Research Center, and College of Law at West Virginia University. This project is supported by the West Virginia Water Research Center with U.S. Geological Survey funds. The purpose of the project is to assist the Indian Creek Watershed Association in determining the quantity and quality of springs in the watershed and determine ways to plan and manage the water resources in Monroe County.
The eastern side of Monroe County, West Virginia, has a small exposure of Cambro-Ordovician age limestone along Peters Mountain, an over-thrust of platform carbonates over the more famous Mississippian-age karst formations of Monroe and Greenbrier counties. The Sweet Springs valley has a large number of both small and large karst springs, including historic Sweet Springs, one of the oldest utilized springs in the region, dating back to the 18th century. There is also a spring bottled water enterprise that has won gold medals at the Berkeley Springs Water Tasting competition three times. The water resources in this area are thought to be pristine, but largely undocumented. A West Virginia University graduate student (Goeff Richards) is working on a Master's thesis to describe spring occurrence and hydrogeology of this aquifer, in conjunction with Donovan and Vesper.
- Monongahela Basin Mine Pool Study
Monongahela Basin Mine Pool Project
The objectives included mapping underground mine pools, monitoring mine water levels, water chemistry, and rates of water rise and differences between shallow cover near outcrops versus central basin. Stream water quality changes since the mid 1960's were evaluated. In addition, an attempt was made to evaluate the rate data to develop an improved macroscopic rate expression for the abiotic dissolution of pyrite and to develop the framework for a geochemical model that includes rate-limited and equilibrium reactions for water chemistry evolution in a water-pyrite system. More information and project reports can be found on the Monongahela Basin Mine Pool Project web page.
- Mine Water for Power Plant Cooling
Mine Water for Power Plant Cooling
Bruce Leavitt, Consulting Hydrogeologist, Washington, Pennsylvania,
Joseph Donovan, Associate Professor, Geology, West Virginia University,
James Stiles, Environmental Engineer, West Virginia Water Research Institute,
Paul Ziemkiewicz, Director, West Virginia Water Research Institute, and
Tamara Vandivort, Program Coordinator, West Virginia Water Research Institute, West Virginia University
The objectives of this work included identifying cost saving alternatives to the current coal fired power plant cooling process. Non-traditional water sources such as coal mine discharges have the potential to reduce the capital cost of acquiring the cooling water while at the same time improving the efficiency of the cooling process due to the constant water temperatures associated with deep mine discharges. In addition, the potential use of the underground mines themselves as a wide area heat sink were evaluated for feasibility. See the project Final Report [MSWord 9.6MB] for more details.
Publications
- Donovan, J. J., B. R. Leavitt, and E. Werner
Long-Term Changes in Water Chemistry as a Result of Mine Flooding in Closed Mines of the Pittsburgh Coal Basin, USA
Hydrology Research Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
- Leavitt, B. R., J. J. Donovan, A. J. Morris, and E. Werner
Modeling of Mine Flooding in the Pittsburgh Coal Basin, USA
Hydrology Research Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
Maps
HRC maps
Events
No HRC events scheduled; please check back later.
