Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet

Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

590 Woody Hayes Dr., Columbus, Ohio 43210

Belmont County Water Resources

AEX-480.07

Stephen D. Schumacher
Kristina M. Boone
Larry C. Brown

Water is a resource often taken for granted. In recent years, water availability and quality have become important public concerns in Belmont County. The county's population of 71,074 (1990 census data) is predominantly rural, and about 75 percent of all households rely on ground water for their water supply. By understanding where water is obtained and how it is used in the county, residents can gain a better appreciation for their water. Providing a brief overview of Belmont County's water resources, this fact sheet is intended to help increase public awareness and understanding of water resources. Water resources terminology used in this publication is included in Surface and Ground Water Terminology, Fact Sheet AEX 460, which provides a listing of generally accepted water resource definitions. Ohio State University Extension publications are available through all Ohio county Extension offices.

Precipitation

An average of approximately 43 inches of precipitation falls on Belmont County annually. Figure 1 illustrates the average monthly precipitation for the period 1961 to 1990. Based on this 30-year record, the average precipitation is 3.6 inches per month, with January (2.5 inches) typically being the driest month, and July (4.8 inches) the wettest. There can be, however, extreme variations in some years and in certain months within a year. Such seasonal and yearly extremes, which may have serious consequences, often are not apparent from the long-term precipitation information. The precipitation record may not be indicative of conditions over the entire county. It does provide a reasonable estimate of seasonal precipitation distribution.

Figure 1. Average monthly precipitation (in inches) in Belmont County, Ohio (1961-1990); Data recorded at Barnesville.

Surface-Water Resources

Belmont County has four major drainage basins: Captina Creek, McMahon Creek, Stillwater Creek and Wheeling Creek. All of these drainage basins are important because they are tributaries to the Ohio River, which is a major water resource for southeastern and southern Ohio and other states. A generalized surface water map of Belmont County is given in Figure 2.

The Captina Creek basin, with an area of approximately 181 square miles, drains most of southern Belmont County. The McMahon Creek basin is approximately 91 square miles and drains central Belmont County. The Wheeling Creek basin contains approximately 108 square miles and drains the northeastern part of Belmont County. Stillwater Creek, located in the northwestern part of Belmont County, has 55 square miles of drainage area and flows northwest into the Tuscarawas River.

Surface waters are affected by the soil type and topography of the land adjacent to them, and the way humans use the land. Land use, such as residential development, construction, and agricultural production, can increase the amount of sediment entering a body of water. The type of soils in an area also influences surface water because of the soil's infiltration capacity. With some soils, rainfall is more likely to run off, while other soils allow water to infiltrate more readily.

Belmont County contains about 343,800 land acres of which approximately 79 percent is farmland. Nine different soil associations are present within the county, the majority of which are well-drained to moderately well-drained with a silt loam surface over clay loam subsoils. The county contains approximately 2,390 acres of lakes, including approximately 82 percent of Piedmont Lake (1,890 acres), Belmont Lake (117 acres) and Barnesville Reservoir (98 acres). Almost 720 linear miles of major streams and rivers course through the county as well (estimated from ODNR Div. of Water river basin maps).

Figure 2. Surface-water resources in Belmont County, Ohio (adapted from ODNR Div. of Water river basin maps by R.A. Roberts).

Ground-Water Resources

Belmont County's primary ground-water sources are sand and gravel deposits found in the floodplains along the Ohio River on the eastern side of Belmont County. Substantial quantities of water can be obtained in these aquifer materials. Wells in this area supply much of the county through regional water systems. The yield potential decreases drastically once outside of the Ohio River floodplain because the county is underlain by interbedded sandstone, shale and limestone formations. Most of the wells found in the interior of the county produce less than 2 gallons per minute (gpm). An overview of the ground-water resources in the county is given in Belmont County Ground-Water Resources, AEX-490.07.

The yield of a well will vary considerably depending on the age and depth of the well, well construction, the diameter of the casing, pump capacity and age, and more importantly, properties of the geologic formation. Specific information on ground-water availability and wells can be obtained by contacting the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Div. of Water.

Where Does the Water Go?

Based on long-term weather records, Ohio receives an average of 38 inches of precipitation per year. These 38 inches move through a complex path called the hydrologic cycle. Of these 38 inches, about 10 inches (26 percent) become runoff, which moves immediately to surface-water bodies like streams and lakes. Two inches are retained at the ground surface and evaporate back into the atmosphere in a relatively short period of time. Twenty-six of the 38 total inches enter the soil surface through infiltration. Twenty of these 26 inches go into soil storage and later are returned to the atmosphere by the combination of evaporation and transpiration (evapotranspiration). The remaining 6 inches of precipitation (16 percent of the total) have the potential to recharge the ground-water supply. Two of these 6 inches eventually move to springs, lakes, or streams as ground-water discharge. The remaining 4 inches either return to the atmosphere by evapotranspiration or are withdrawn to supply water needs. For further reading, refer to Ohio's Hydrologic Cycle, AEX 461.

Statewide averages applied to the county's average annual precipitation provide a rough estimate of how many inches will result in runoff and how many inches have the potential to reach aquifers. Based on statewide averages of runoff and ground-water recharge, Belmont County's 43 inches of average annual precipitation result in about 11 inches of runoff to streams and lakes, and about 7 inches have the potential to recharge aquifers annually. Values for particular locations will differ according to local conditions.

Water Use

Water use for each of Belmont County's public water-supply systems is given in Table 1. For each water system, this table presents an estimate of the population served, water source, estimated daily usage and treatment plant capacity.

The county's largest public-water system based on population served is Belmont County Sanitary Sewer District, which uses ground water for its primary supply and surface water as a secondary source. Barnesville, Bellaire and St. Clairsville use surface water for their supplies, while Morristown purchases ground water from Belmont County Sanitary Sewer District. The remaining public water systems use ground water for their water supplies.

Ground water also is a water source for rural households in Belmont County. Approximately 17 percent of all households obtain their water from private wells. Based on an estimated usage of 75 gallons per person per day, almost 900,000 gallons per day (gpd) is used from private wells. The remaining 83 percent of households use public-water supplies with ground or surface water as the source, as identified in Table 1. Additional private water uses include industry (1.5 million gpd), golf course and crop irrigation, and livestock use, mostly from ground-water supplies.

Some water users in Ohio must register their withdrawals with the ODNR Div. of Water. Through the Water Withdrawal Facility Registration Program, owners of facilities that could withdraw 100,000 gpd (70 gpm) or more must register those facilities. Information collected through this program includes withdrawal capacity, ground- or surface-water sources, location and type of water use, and location of discharge points. The program is for registration only, and not for allocation or permission. Registered withdrawers file annual reports of their water use. This information helps planners at ODNR determine the availability of water for projected needs and better manage and protect Ohio's water resources. Documenting water use also provides official records for individual uses. For more information, contact ODNR, Div. of Water.

Belmont County has only one non-transient non-community public water supply. Non-transient non-community systems are small public supplies, such as some schools and businesses, that serve more than 25 of the same people for six months of the year. In Belmont, 240 people are served by non-transient, non-community systems and the total usage is 6,000 gallons per day.

Table 1. Water Use in Belmont County, Ohio.1
Public Water System	Population Served	Primary Water Source	Water Usage (GPD)2	Treatment Plant Capacity (GPD)
Barnesville	5,000	Surface Water	734,000	1,500,000
Bellaire	6,032	Surface Water	1,370,000	3,000,000
Bellview Heights3	160	Ground Water	14,000	0
Belmont Co. Sanitary Sewer District4	15,783	Ground Water	2,023,000	3,000,000
Belmont Co. Sewer District 1B5	2,175	Ground Water	344,500	1,000,000
Belmont Co. Sewer District 1C3	400	Ground Water	49,400	0
Village of Belmont	471	Ground Water	44,300	28,800
Bethesda	1,161	Surface Water	139,800	216,000
Bridgeport	2,318	Ground Water	668,900	1,000,000
Brookside5	910	Ground Water	3,000	0
Flushing	1,020	Ground Water	171,300	NA6
Holloway	367	Ground Water	48,200	144,000
Martins Ferry	11,000	Ground Water	2,694,000	6,000,000
Morristown3	375	Ground Water	21,000	0
Powhatan Point	1,807	Ground Water	245,700	432,000
Shadyside	4,300	Ground Water	441,000	1,296,000
St. Clairsville	5,162	Surface Water	427,290	750,000
York Twp. Water Auth.7	450	Ground Water	34,160	0
1 Estimates from Ohio EPA using 1993 data, adjusted by Leonard Black, ODNR Div. of Water.
2 GPD = gallons per day.
3 Water supplied by Belmont Co. Sanitary Sewer District.
4 Secondary source is surface water.
5 Water supplied by Bridgeport.
6 Information not available
7 Water supplied by Powhatan Point.

Water Quality

Natural processes and human activities affect the quality of our water supplies. Throughout Ohio, human activities contribute to nonpoint source pollution, through which a major portion of the sediment, nutrients, acids and salts, heavy metals, toxic chemicals and pathogens enter the state's water resources. Nonpoint source pollution is the introduction of impurities into a surface-water body or an aquifer, usually through a non-direct route and from sources that are "diffuse" in nature. This type of pollution affects both ground and surface water. Examples include automobile emissions, runoff from parking lots, runoff and drainage from agricultural fields, feedlots, and home gardens, and runoff and drainage from construction, mining and logging.

Ground Water

As water moves through the deposits underlying Belmont County, it dissolves and carries in solution minerals contained in these deposits. AEX-490.07 summarizes some of the county's natural ground-water quality aspects.

Human activities, such as agricultural production, domestic waste disposal, and lawn and turf care, may have some influence on the county's ground-water quality. In a 1988 study by Heidelberg College, 84 wells in the county were sampled for nitrate content, of which 17 (20 percent of total) contained nitrate-nitrogen concentrations in the range of 0 to 0.3 parts-per-million (ppm). This range is assumed to represent natural background levels. Forty-three wells (51 percent) were tested in the range of 0.3 to 3.0 ppm; these values may or may not indicate human influence. The 24 wells (29 percent) that tested in the range of 3.0 to 10 ppm may indicate elevated concentrations resulting from human activities. No wells tested over 10 ppm nitrate-nitrogen, which exceeds the safe drinking-water standard. The average test value for the 84 wells tested was 2.3 ppm. Design, location, and condition of a well, as well as the characteristics of the soils and geologic formations in which the well is constructed, influence the potential for pollutants to enter the well.

Surface Water

Runoff and sediment from residential development, construction sites and agricultural lands may enter the county's streams and lakes. Also, runoff may carry other pollutants, such as lawn and agricultural chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers), effluent from septic systems, oil and gas from spills and industrial wastes. Drainage from abandoned deep mines and mine waste contribute significant amounts of pollutants to surface water in the northern half of the county.

Through the Ohio Nonpoint Source Assessment and Water Resources Inventory, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) and ODNR have found that 13,000 stream miles in Ohio have been affected by nonpoint source pollution. Belmont County contains portions of several streams and their tributaries that have been classified by the Assessment as being affected by nonpoint source pollution. Based on the findings of the Assessment and Inventory, the Ohio Nonpoint Source Management Plan has been implemented to help improve the quality of the state's waters. For specific information on results of the Assessment and details of the Management Plan for the county, contact the Ohio EPA Southeast District Office (2195 Front St., Logan, OH 43138).

Overall, Belmont County has a safe supply of water. County citizens have a major challenge to protect water resources from pollutants that could affect the quality of the water supply. For more information about nonpoint source pollution, refer to Nonpoint Source Pollution: Water Primer, AEX 465, available from your county Extension office.

Summary

Water availability and quality are important public concerns. Water problems can be both costly and inconvenient. While the present and future availability of water is good for Belmont County, water is a precious resource that must be conserved and protected. We must all work together to maintain an adequate supply of good quality water.

This fact sheet provides information on water facts for Belmont County. For more information on water resources and drinking-water quality in the county, contact the Belmont County office of Ohio State University Extension. In addition, the following agencies may be able to provide information on other water resources topics in the county: Belmont Soil and Water Conservation District; Belmont County Health Department; ODNR Div. of Water (Fountain Square, Col., OH 43224); U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Ohio District (975 W. Third Ave., Col., OH 43212); Ohio EPA (1800 WaterMark Dr., Col., OH 43266); and Ohio Department of Health (PO Box 118, Col., OH 43226).

Bibliography

Analysis of Postdredging Bed-level Changes in Selected Reaches of Wheeling Creek, Eastern Ohio, 1985-87. 1988. USGS. WRI Report 88-4119.

Belmont County Ground-Water Resources, 1993. S.D. Schumacher, A.W. Jones, L.C. Brown and K.M. Boone. AEX-490.07. Ohio State University Extension.

Belmont County, Ohio Soil Survey, 1980. USDA-SCS. Soil and Water Conservation District Resource Inventory. 1985. USDA-SCS.

Doane's Agricultural Report, 1992.

Farm Water Systems. Estimated Water Use in Ohio, 1990, Public Supply Data. 1993. USGS. Open-File Report 93-72

Flood of June 14-15, 1990, in Belmont, Jefferson and Harrison Counties, Ohio, with Emphasis on Pipe and Weges Creek Basins Near Shadyside. 1991. USGS. WRI Report 91-4147.

Flooding and Sedimentation in Wheeling Creek Basin Belmont County, Ohio. 1987. USGS. WRI Report 87-4053.

Gazetteer of Ohio Streams,1960. Ohio Water Inventory Report No. 12. ODNR Div. of Water.

Ground-Water Resources of Belmont County, 1991. A.C. Walker. ODNR Div. of Water. (map).

Hydrologic Atlas for Ohio: Average Annual Precipitation, Temperature, Streamflow, and Water Loss for the 50-Year Period 1931-1980, 1991. L.J. Hartstine. Water Inventory Report No. 28. ODNR Div. of Water.

Inventory of Municipal Water-Supply Systems by County, Ohio, 1977. Ohio Water Inventory Report No. 24. ODNR Div. of Water.

Inventory of Ohio's Lakes, 1980. Ohio Water Inventory Report No. 26. ODNR Div. of Water.

Monthly Station Normals of Temperature, Precipitation, and Heating and Cooling Degree Days, 1961-90, Ohio, 1992. Climatology of the United States, No. 81 (by state). NOAA.

Nitrate and Pesticides in Private Wells of Ohio: A State Atlas, 1989. Water Quality Laboratory, Heidelberg College.

Nitrate In Drinking Water, 1987. K.M. Mancl. Bulletin No. 744. Ohio State University Extension.

Nonpoint Source Pollution: Water Primer, 1993. R. Leeds and L.C. Brown. AEX 465. Ohio State University Extension.

Ohio Ground-Water Quality. USGS National Water Summary - Ohio. 1986. USGS. Water-Supply Paper 2325.

Ohio Ground-Water Resources. USGS National Water Summary - Ohio. 1984. USGS. Water-Supply Paper 2275.

Ohio Nonpoint Source Management Program, 1993. ODNR. Fountain Square, Col., OH 43224-1387.

Ohio Surface-Water Resources.USGS National Water Summary - Ohio, 1985. USGS. Water-Supply Paper 2300.

Ohio Water Resource Inventory: Executive Summary and Volumes 1-4, 1992. Ohio EPA. Col., OH 43266-0149.

Ohio's Hydrologic Cycle, 1990. L.C. Brown and K.M. Coltman. AEX 461. Ohio State University Extension.

Private Water Systems Handbook, 1987. MWPS-14. Midwest Plan Service, Ames, IA.

Southeast Ohio Water Plan. 1978. ODNR Div. of Water.

State of Ohio Nonpoint Source Assessment: Volumes 1-6, 1990. Ohio EPA. Col., OH 43266-0149.

Surface and Ground Water Terminology, 1990. L.C. Brown and L.P. Black. AEX 460. Ohio State University Extension.

Water - Ohio's Remarkable Resource, 1982. ODNR Div. of Water.

Withdrawal and Distribution of Water By Public Water Supplies in Ohio, 1985. USGS. Open-File Report 89-423.

Acknowledgments

This publication was produced through the Ohio Water Resources Education Project, in cooperation with: ODNR Div. of Water; Ohio EPA; USGS, Ohio District; and Ohio Department of Health (ODH). Project leaders are Larry C. Brown and Kristina M. Boone. Support was provided in part by: the cooperating agencies; Belmont County office of OSU Extension; Belmont Soil and Water Conservation District; Belmont County Commissioners; Overholt Drainage Education and Research Program; and USDA Extension Service Grant No. 90-EWQI-1-9018. The project leaders express appreciation to the following reviewers: Jim Forshey (USDA-SCS); Neil Rubel (Belmont SWCD); David Grum (Belmont County Sanitary Sewer District); James M. Raab, David Cashell and Leonard Black (ODNR Div. of Water); Scott Golden (Environmental Health, ODH); Larry Antosch (Ohio EPA Div. of Surface Water); James Wade (USDA-SCS); Ron Veley and Steve Hindall (USGS, Ohio District); and Jay Fleming (Ohio EPA, Div. of Drinking and Ground Water).

A special thanks to Julie Carpenter (Belmont County office of OSU Extension), Michelle Roby and Ross A. Roberts (Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Assistants) for help in manuscript and graphics preparation, and Judy Kauffeld, Publications Editor (Section of Communications and Technology, OSU), for editorial and graphic production.

Reviewed by Dr. Warren Roller and Dr. Mike Veenhuizen