Traveltime and dispersion studies were conducted on a 65-mile-long reach of the New River between Hinton and Gauley Bridge, West Virginia. Four sets of measurements were made from August 1985 to May 1986 at river discharges of about 2,220, 3 ,200, 9,200, and 18,000 cu ft/sec, which correspond to flow durations of 85, 70, 26, and 9%, respectively. The four sets of data were used to develop generalized procedures for estimating traveltime and peak concentrations that result from spillage of water-soluble substances at any point within the study reach. The procedure will provide the approximate traveltimes and concentrations of soluble substances during periods of relatively steady flow from 1,500 to 30,000 cu ft/sec. A sample problem and solution are presented for hypothetical situation in which 500 lbs of soluble contaminant are spilled at a highway bridge near Sandstone. The river flow was 3,000 cu ft/sec for this example. The estimated times required for the leading edge and peak concentration of the solute cloud to reach Stone Cliff (25.9 river mi) were determined to be 23 and 28.5 hours. The cloud would take about 17 hours to pass Stone Cliff and the peak concentration would be 100 micrograms/L.
