Hydrology of Area 6, Eastern Coal Province, Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania

Technical Report · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1983

OSTI ID:6893839

Staubitz, W W; Sobashinski, J R

This report broadly characterizes the hydrology of Area 6, the 1329 square-mile North Branch Potomac River basin. Area 6 comprises parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia and is almost evenly divided between two physiographic provinces. The allegheny Mountain section of the Appalachian Plateaus physiographic province encompasses the western half of the area and contains coal-bearing rocks of Pennsylvanian age. The area contains two coal-producing regions. Coal production from the area amounted to 3.8 million tons in 1978 and has been steadily increasing in the last several years. Area 6 has a continental, temperate climate and receives between 36 and 45 inches of precipitation depending on elevation. The soils of the area were formed from noncarbonate, sedimentary rocks and are generally of high acidity and low fertility. Forest land occupies over 80% of the land surface, whereas surface mining occupies only about 1.5% of the land surface. The area is drained entirely by the North Branch Potomac River. Water used in the area is mostly from surface-water resources. Ground-water accounts for only 0.5% of total water withdrawals. Seventy-two percent of ground-water withdrawals are used by the coal-mining industry. More than 140 miles of streams in Area 6 are affected by mine drainage. These streams are devoid of fish life and otherwise have severely reduced biological communities. The mean dissolved-solids concentrations and specific conductances were more than three times greater for streams draining coal mining areas than for streams draining unmined areas. The mean pH and net alkalinity of streams draining unmined areas were higher than those of streams draining mined areas. Although concentrations of trace metals in water and bottom sediments were generally low for streams draining both mined and unmined areas, those from unmined areas were noticeably higher.

• Research Organization: Geological Survey, Reston, VA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6893839
• Report Number(s): USGS-OFR-83-33; ON: TI84901065
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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