Water Resources Research
Background 
West Virginia has had a Water Research Institute since 1967. While it has a statewide mandate, it has always been a small program, receiving about $130,000 per year initially and declining gradually to approximately $82,000 per year. Between 1996 and 1999, USGS eliminated the state funding programs in favor of regional competitions based on regional priorities. While the West Virginia Water Research Institute was successful in winning several awards, the change effectively eliminated our ability to serve the State’s water research priorities.
Starting in 2000, the research program came back to the states and in 2001 the amount of research dollars was increased. With water related issues increasing in importance to the State, this proved an opportune time to reinvigorate the West Virginia Water Research Institute (WVWRI).
Objective
Our objective is to build the West Virginia Water Research Institute as the premier water research center in West Virginia and, within selected fields, an international leader.
Strategy
The Director and management of the West Virginia Water Research Institute aggressively search for funding opportunities from Federal and State agencies and the private sector. These funds are used to support specific research projects, are used to match USGS 104b cost share requirements, and cover administrative costs.
Research Priorities for 2006
- Nutrient reduction/nutrient control/sources of air deposition
- Mercury
- informational fact sheets
- Valley fills
- viability of fill areas for community uses
- protect as a water source
- how to handle sewage
- Flooding
- Aquatic ecosystem integrity
- anti-degradation
- water quality criteria
- nutrient/pathogen impacts
- headwater stream valuation/mitigation
- Water metrics
- methods for measuring physical, chemical, biological components
- in situ monitoring
- PPCP's
- pathogens in drinking water
- Uses for mine water discharge
- drinking water potential for underground mine pools
- irrigation
- industrial heating/cooling
- Industrial processes and urban sprawl
- water budgets
- contaminants
- flooding
- ground-water recharge
- storm water applications
- Evaluation of water resources
- uses
WV Advisory Committee for Water Research
Lisa McClung
Chair, West Virginia Advisory Committee for Water Research
Director, Division of Water and Waste Management
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
601 57th Street, SE
Charleston, WV 25304
Phone: 304-926-0495
Fax: 304-926-0463
lmmcclung@wvdep.org
Hugh Bevans
District Chief
US Geological Survey
11 Dunbar Street
Charleston, WV 25301
Phone: (304) 347-5130 ext. 223
Fax: (304) 347-5133
hbevans@usgs.gov
Tom Boggs
Vice President and CFO
West Virginia Chamber of Commerce
1624 Kanawha Blvd., East
PO Box 2789
Charleston , WV 25330
Phone: 304-342-1695
Fax: 304-414-2468
tboggs@wvchamber.com
Jason Bostic
West Virginia Coal Association
P.O. Box 3923
Charleston, WV 25339
Phone: 304-342-4153
Fax: 304-342-7651
jbostic@wvcoal.com
Frank Borsuk
Aquatic Fisheries Biologist
USEPA Region III
1060 Chapline Street, Suite 303
Wheeling, WV 26003-2995
Phone: (304) 234-0241
Fax: (304) 234-0257
borsuk.frank@epa.gov
Tom Feeley
Technology Manager
U.S. Department of Energy - National Energy Technology Laboratory
P.O. Box 10940
Pittsburgh, PA 15236
Phone: (412) 386-6134
Fax: (412) 386-4822
thomas.feeley@netl.doe.gov
David Meadows
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Huntington District
502 8th Street
Huntington, WV 25701-2070
Phone: (304) 399-5243
Fax: (304) 399-5549
david.f.meadows@usace.army.mil
David Miller
Special Assistant to the President
West Virginia University
Office of the President
P.O. Box 6201
Morgantown, WV 26506-6201
Phone: (304) 293-8673
Fax: (304) 293-5883
dmille35@wvu.edu
Bret Preston
Dept. of Natural Resources
Building 3, Room 807
Capitol Complex
Charleston, WV 25305
Phone: (304) 558-2771
Fax: (304) 558-3147
BPreston@dnr.state.wv.us
William Toomey
WV Bureau for Public Health
815 Quarrier Street, Suite 418
Charleston , WV 25301
Phone: 304-558-6746
Fax: 304-558-1291
wtoomey@wvdhhr.org
Gary A. Wick
Unit Chief
Federal Bureau of Investigation (NICS)
FBINAA 115th Session
1000 Custer Hollow Road
Clarksburg, WV 26306
Phone: (304) 625-7334
Fax: (304) 625-0535
g.a.wick@att.net
Robert L. Williams
Executive Secretary-Treasurer
West Virginia Farm Bureau
1 Red Rock Road
Buckhannon , WV 26201
Phone: 304-472-2080
Fax: 304-472-6554
bwilliams@wvfarm.org
Project Listing
- Project No. WRI-39
Project Title: Water Quality Measurement in Polishing Ponds of AMD Treatment Plants for Selection of Commercial Aquaculture Sites and Waste Management Studies [.pdf 489kb]
Recipient: West Virginia University
Principal Investigator: Kenneth Semmens
Funding:- USGS: $14,900
- Cost-Share: $78,241
- Total Project Value: $93,141
Final Report - Project No. WRI-40
Project Title: Aquaculture Waste Control and Optimizing Nutrient Utilization through Diet Composition and Feeding Strategies [.pdf 20kb]
Recipient: West Virginia State College
Principal Investigator: Jonathan Eya
Funding- USGS: $38,627
- Cost-Share: $90,094
- Total Project Value: $128,721
Final Report - Project No. WRI-46
Project Title: Assessing Extent and Longevity of Degredation Following Coal Mining in West Virginia [.pdf 26kb]
Recipient: West Virginia University
Principal Investigator: Paul Ziemkiewicz
Funding- USGS: $23,542
- Cost-Share: $48,728
- Total Project Value: $72,270
Final Report [.pdf 470kb] - Project No. WRI-47
Project Title: Establishing Biological and Water Quality Criteria for Water Resource Management in a Mining Impacted Watershed [.pdf 35kb]
Recipient: West Virginia University
Principal Investigator: Todd Petty
Funding- USGS: $36,746
- Cost-Share: $110,531
- Total Project Value: $147,277
Final Report [.pdf 194kb] - Project No. WRI-48
Project Title: Impact of Longwall Mining on Headwater Streams in Northern West Virginia
Recipient: Wheeling Jesuit University
Principal Investigator: Ben Stout, III
Funding- USGS: $17,568
- Cost-Share: $31,753
- Total Project Value: $49,321
Final Report [.pdf 372kb] - Project No. WRI-54
Project Title: Passive Treatment of Cl-Contaminated Waters in NW West Virginia Using Passive Absorptive Technologies
Recipients: West Virginia University(WVU) and West Virginia State College (WVSC)
Principal Investigators: Paul Ziemkiewicz (WVU) and James Mayhugh (WVSC)
Funding:- USGS: $12,384
- Cost-Share: $24,768
- Total Project Value: $37,152
Final Report - Project No. WRI-55
Project Title: Hydraulic Connections and Impacts on Water Supply in the Great Valley Karst Aquifer. A Case Study in Martinsburg, WV
Recipient: West Virginia University
Principal Investigators: Dorothy Vesper
Funding:- USGS: $21,829
- Cost-Share: $25,891
- Total Project Value: $47,720
Final Report [.pdf 17kb] - Project No. WRI-59
Project Title: West Virginia Water Conference 2004
Recipient: West Virginia University
Principal Investigators: Tamara Vandivort
Funding:- USGS: $11,168
- Cost-Share: $18,331
- Total Project Value: $29,499
Final Report [.pdf 72kb] - Project No. WRI-60
Project Title: Changes to In-Stream Suspended Sediment and Turbidity Following Improvements to a Forest Road in West Virginia
Recipient: West Virginia University
Principal Investigators: Jingxin Wang
Funding:- USGS: $25,060
- Cost-Share: $50,230
- Total Project Value: $75,290
Annual Report [.pdf 17kb] - Project No. WRI-63
Project Title: West Virginia Water Resources Inventory and Assessment
Recipient: West Virginia University
Principal Investigators: Rick Herd
Funding:- USGS: $54,092
- Cost-Share: $128,568
- Total Project Value: $182,660
Annual Report [.pdf 1.46mb] - Project No. WRI-69
Project Title: West Virginia Water Conference 2005
Recipient: West Virginia University
Principal Investigators: Tamara Vandivort
Funding:- USGS: $14,844
- Cost-Share: $31,141
- Total Project Value: $45,985
- Project No: WRI-81
Project Title: Systematic determination of water resource data & information management needs in West Virginia
Recipient: West Virginia University
Principal Investigators: Tamara Vandivort, Rick Herd
Funding:- USGS: 10,332
- Cost-share: 21,033
- Total Project Value: 31,365
Abstract [.pdf 13kb] - Project No: WRI-82
Project Title: In-Stream Turbidity and Suspended Sediment Changes Following Improvements to a Forest Road and Harvesting
Recipient: West Virginia University
Principal Investigators: Jingxin Wang
Funding:- USGS: 29,496
- Cost-share: 60,278
- Total Project Value: 89,774
Abstract [.pdf 13kb] - Project No: WRI-83
Project Title: Evaluation of the Environmental Hazard of Selenium in Coal-Associated Rocks of the Southern West Virginia Coal Basin
Recipient: West Virginia University
Principal Investigators: Ronald Smart
Funding:- USGS: 31,892
- Cost-share: 63,880
- Total Project Value: 95,772
Abstract [.pdf 10kb] - Project No: WRI-84
Project Title: Chloride Sorption to Acid Mine Drainage Solids
Recipient: West Virginia University
Principal Investigators: Louis McDonald
Funding:- USGS: 46,462
- Cost-share: 92,905
- Total Project Value: 139,367
Abstract [.pdf 12kb]
Publications
- Semmens, Kenneth. 2002
Water Quality Measurement in Polishing Ponds of AMD Treatment Plants for Selection of Commercial Aquaculture Sites and Waste Management Studies
Final Report for Project No. WRI-39. 22 p. [.pdf 489kb] - Eya, Jonathan. 2004
Aquaculture Waste Control and Optimizing Nutrient Utilization through Diet Composition and Feeding Strategies
Final Report for Project No. WRI-40. 5 p. [.doc 53kb] - Petty, Todd. 2004
Spatio-Temporal Variability in Water Chemistry and Its Effects on Stream Ecological Condition in a Mined, Appalachian Watershed
Final Report for Project No. WRI-47. 26 p. [.doc 2.93mb] - Stout, Ben M. III. 2004
Do Headwater Streams Recover from Longwall Mining Impacts in Northern West Virginia?
Final Report for Project No. WRI-48. 32 p. [.doc 2.53mb] - Mayhugh, James and Paul Ziemkiewicz.
Treatment of Chloride Contaminated Mine Water in NW West Virginia
Final Report for Project No. WRI-54. 8 p. [.doc 167kb] - Vandivort, Tamara. 2005
West Virginia Water Conference 2004
Final Report for Project No. WRI-59. 6 p. [.doc 100kb] - Freund, J. G. and J. T. Petty.
IN PRESS. Response of fish and macroinvertebrate bioindices to specific stressor levels in a mined Appalachian watershed.
Environmental Management - McClurg S., J. T. Petty, and P. M. Mazik.
IN PRESS. Stream ecosystem response to Limestone mitigation programs in two acidic Appalachian watersheds.
Ecological Applications. - Merovich, G. T., Jr., and J. T. Petty.
IN PRESS. Interactive effects of multiple stressors and restoration priorities in a mined Appalachian watershed. Hydrobiologia. - Petty, J. T., and D. Thorne. 2005.
An ecologically based approach for identifying restoration priorities in acid impacted watersheds.
Restoration Ecology. 13:348-587. - Petty, J. Todd, and J. Barker. 2004.
Water quality variability, trace metals, and Implications for restoring a mined Appalachian watershed.
Proceedings of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation 21:1484-1504. - Petty, J. Todd. 2004.
An ecological index to assess alternative regulation of thermal impact at the Albright Power Station, WV.
Proceedings of the EPRI Thermal Ecology and Management Workshop. - Stiles, J. M., G. T. Merovich, J. T. Petty, P. F. Ziemkiewicz, and J. B. Fulton.
IN REVIEW. Water chemistry based classification of streams and implications for Stream restoration in mined Appalachian watersheds.
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. - Eya, J. C., A. Parsons, 1. Haile and P. Jagidi. 2005.
Composition or effect of vanour kinds of neolites on growth, body composition and waste output in juvenile rainbow trout Onorhynchus mykiss.
Aquaculture America 2005, New Orleans, Louisiana, January 2005. - Eya, J. C., A. Parsons, 1. Haite and P. Jagidi. 2005.
The impact of feeding strategy, dietary phosphorus and varying protein and fat contents on juvenile rainbow trout growth performance and waste output.
Aquaculture America 2005. New Orleans, Louisiana, January 2005.
Events
No WRR events scheduled; please check back later.
