Water-resources data for the 1996 water year for West Virginia consist of records of discharge and water quality of streams; contents of reservoirs; and water levels of observation wells. This report contains discharge records for 64 streamflow-gaging stations; annual maximum discharge at 39 crest-stage partial-record stations; change in contents for 1 reservoir, water-quality records for 8 stations; and water-level records for 15 observation wells. Locations of these sites are shown on figures 4 and 5. Additional water data were collected at various sites, not involved in the systematic data collection program, and are published as miscellaneous sites. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in West Virginia.