Mark D. Kozar
Mark Kozar is a hydrologist and groundwater specialist at the Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center.
Science and Products
Interpolated groundwater levels and altitudes for Monroe County, West Virginia, 2017-2019
This interpolated ground-water level altitude product, for Monroe County, WV, was derived from ground-water-level data obtained from a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) synoptic survey of 257 ground-water wells during October 23, 2017 through September 19, 2019, and selected points from the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) to represent equal-altitude contour lines of ground-water levels in 50-foot i
Fluorescein and Rhodamine WT concentration and recovery data for select samples collected in Monroe County, West Virginia, in August and September 2019
Fluorescein and Rhodamine WT dye-tracer injections were performed in Monroe County, West Virginia to determine groundwater flow paths and identify the location of the groundwater divide within the Greenbrier karst aquifer in the area south of Union, West Virginia. Fluorescein was injected in a swallet on Burnside Branch upstream of Steel's cave (37° 33' 56.0" latitude -80° 32' 57.6" longitude) and
Dataset of C1-C6 Dissolved Trace Hydrocarbon Measurements in the Western "Wet Gas" Part of the Marcellus Shale Oil and Gas Play in West Virginia, U.S.A. Collected Between June and August 2018
This dataset contains measurements of dissolved hydrocarbons in from groundwater samples collected in the shale gas producing regions of West Virginia, USA, between June and August of 2018. The target analytes in this study were: methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), ethene (C2H4), ethyne (C2H2), propane (C3H8), propene (C3H6), i-butane (C4H10), n-butane (C4H10), 1-butene (C4H8), propyne (C3H4), i-pentane
Dataset of trace dissolved hydrocarbons in surface water and groundwater in North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia between 2014 and 2017
This dataset contains measurements of dissolved hydrocarbons in various water sources, as well as ancillary raw calibration data showing the stability of the gas chromatograph with an atomic emission detector and flame ionization detector (GC-AED-FID) analytical system over time. Across multiple studies, samples from tap water, groundwater, surface water, springs, mine outflows, and blank material
Site and Groundwater-Quality Sample Data for Abandoned Underground Coal Mine Aquifers in West Virginia, July 13, 1973 through September 7, 2016
This Data Release is a compilation of existing water-quality data associated with groundwater resources originating from abandoned underground coal mines in West Virginia. Data were compiled from multiple sources for the purpose of understanding the suitability of groundwater from abandoned underground coal mines for public supply, industrial, agricultural, and other uses. This compilation include
Filter Total Items: 25
Hydrogeology, karst, and groundwater availability of Monroe County, West Virginia
Monroe County is in southeastern West Virginia, encompassing an area of 474 square miles. The area consists of karst and siliciclastic aquifers of Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, and Mississippian age and is in parts of two physiographic provinces: the Valley and Ridge Province to the east of Peters Mountain, and the Appalachian Plateau Province to the west of Peters Mountain. This study was devel
Authors
Mark D. Kozar, Daniel H. Doctor, William K. Jones, Nathan Chien, Cheyenne E. Cox, Randall C. Orndorff, David J. Weary, Mitchell R. Weaver, Mitchell A. McAdoo, Mercer Parker
Groundwater quality in abandoned underground coal mine aquifers across West Virginia
Abandoned underground coal mine aquifers cover a large part of West Virginia and could supply substantial quantities of water for agricultural, industrial, residential, and public use. Several Federal, State, and academic institutions have studied the availability and quality of water stored in abandoned underground coal mine aquifers for a variety of applications, such as economic development, ge
Authors
Mitchell A. McAdoo, Gregory T. Connock, Mark D. Kozar
Groundwater quality and geochemistry of the western wet gas part of the Marcellus Shale Oil and Gas Play in West Virginia
Thirty rural residential water wells in the wet gas region of the Marcellus Shale oil and gas play in northwestern West Virginia were sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2018, in cooperation with West Virginia State agencies, to analyze for a range of water-quality constituents, including major ions, trace metals, radionuclides, bacteria, and methane and other dissolved hydrocarbon gas
Authors
Mark D. Kozar, Mitchell A. McAdoo, Karl B. Haase
Groundwater quality and geochemistry of West Virginia’s southern coal fields
Coal mining has been the dominant industry and land use in West Virginia’s southern coal fields since the mid-1800s. Mortality rates for a variety of serious chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer in Appalachian coal mining regions, are higher than in areas lacking substantial coal mining activity within the Appalachian Region or elsewhere in the United State
Authors
Mark D. Kozar, Mitchell A. McAdoo, Karl B. Haase
Groundwater-quality data associated with abandoned underground coal mine aquifers in West Virginia, 1973-2016: Compilation of existing data from multiple sources
This report describes a compilation of existing water-quality data associated with groundwater resources originating from abandoned underground coal mines in West Virginia. Data were compiled from multiple sources for the purpose of understanding the suitability of groundwater from abandoned underground coal mines for public supply, industrial, agricultural, and other uses. This compilation includ
Authors
Mitchell A. McAdoo, Mark D. Kozar
Use of modflow drain package for simulating inter-basin transfer in abandoned coal mines
Simulation of groundwater flow in abandoned mines is difficult, especially where flux to and from mines is unknown or poorly quantified, and inter-basin transfer of groundwater occurs. A 3-year study was conducted in the Elkhorn area, West Virginia to better understand groundwater-flow processes and inter-basin transfer in above drainage abandoned coal mines. The study area was specifically select
Authors
Mark D. Kozar, Kurt J. McCoy
Hydrogeology, groundwater flow, and groundwater quality of an abandoned underground coal-mine aquifer, Elkhorn Area, West Virginia
The Pocahontas No. 3 coal seam in southern West Virginia has been extensively mined by underground methods since the 1880’s. An extensive network of abandoned mine entries in the Pocahontas No. 3 has since filled with good-quality water, which is pumped from wells or springs discharging from mine portals (adits), and used as a source of water for public supplies. This report presents results of a
Authors
Mark D. Kozar, Kurt J. McCoy, James Q. Britton, B.M. Blake
Assessment of hydrogeologic terrains, well-construction characteristics, groundwater hydraulics, and water-quality and microbial data for determination of surface-water-influenced groundwater supplies in West Virginia
In January 2014, a storage tank leaked, spilling a large quantity of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol into the Elk River in West Virginia and contaminating the water supply for more than 300,000 people. In response, the West Virginia Legislature passed Senate Bill 373, which requires the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (WVDHHR) to assess the susceptibility and vulnerability of p
Authors
Mark D. Kozar, Katherine S. Paybins
Hydrologic budget and conditions of Permian, Pennsylvanian, and Mississippian aquifers in the Appalachian Plateaus physiographic province
In response to challenges to groundwater availability posed by historic land-use practices, expanding development of hydrocarbon resources, and drought, the U.S. Geological Survey Groundwater Resources Program began a regional assessment of the Appalachian Plateaus aquifers in 2013 that incorporated a hydrologic landscape approach to estimate all components of the hydrologic system: surface runoff
Authors
Kurt J. McCoy, Richard M. Yager, David L. Nelms, David E. Ladd, Jack Monti,, Mark D. Kozar
Water quality of groundwater and stream base flow in the Marcellus Shale Gas Field of the Monongahela River Basin, West Virginia, 2011-12
The Marcellus Shale gas field underlies portions of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Development of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling technology led to extensive development of gas from the Marcellus Shale beginning about 2007. The need to identify and monitor changes in water-quality conditions related to development of the Marcellus Shale
Authors
Douglas B. Chambers, Mark D. Kozar, Terence Messinger, Michon L. Mulder, Adam J. Pelak, Jeremy S. White
Quality-assurance plan for groundwater activities, U.S. Geological Survey, Washington Water Science Center
This report documents the standard procedures, policies, and field methods used by the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Washington Water Science Center staff for activities related to the collection, processing, analysis, storage, and publication of groundwater data. This groundwater quality-assurance plan changes through time to accommodate new methods and requirements developed by the Washington
Authors
Mark D. Kozar, Sue C. Kahle
Groundwater quality in West Virginia, 1993-2008
Approximately 42 percent of all West Virginians rely on groundwater for their domestic water supply. However, prior to 2008, the quality of the West Virginia’s groundwater resource was largely unknown. The need for a statewide assessment of groundwater quality prompted the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP), Division of W
Authors
Douglas B. Chambers, Mark D. Kozar, Jeremy S. White, Katherine S. Paybins
Interactive Map: Virginia and West Virginia Groundwater Levels and Trends
The Virginia and West Virginia Groundwater Levels and Trends web application provides access to groundwater level data from continuous groundwater wells across Virginia and West Virginia. Continuous wells include real time and non-real time wells. Data update daily and are compared to long-term monthly statistics.
Geonarrative: Land Motion and Subsidence on the Virginia Coastal Plain
Along the coast of Virginia, the USGS and our partners are constantly monitoring our land and waters in new and innovative ways. In Virginia, scientists at the Virginia and West Virginia Water Sciences Center are drilling deep into the Earth to assess the impacts of groundwater use. By studying the impacts of groundwater use, scientists can determine associated risks, such as land subsidence.
Science and Products
- Data
Interpolated groundwater levels and altitudes for Monroe County, West Virginia, 2017-2019
This interpolated ground-water level altitude product, for Monroe County, WV, was derived from ground-water-level data obtained from a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) synoptic survey of 257 ground-water wells during October 23, 2017 through September 19, 2019, and selected points from the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) to represent equal-altitude contour lines of ground-water levels in 50-foot iFluorescein and Rhodamine WT concentration and recovery data for select samples collected in Monroe County, West Virginia, in August and September 2019
Fluorescein and Rhodamine WT dye-tracer injections were performed in Monroe County, West Virginia to determine groundwater flow paths and identify the location of the groundwater divide within the Greenbrier karst aquifer in the area south of Union, West Virginia. Fluorescein was injected in a swallet on Burnside Branch upstream of Steel's cave (37° 33' 56.0" latitude -80° 32' 57.6" longitude) andDataset of C1-C6 Dissolved Trace Hydrocarbon Measurements in the Western "Wet Gas" Part of the Marcellus Shale Oil and Gas Play in West Virginia, U.S.A. Collected Between June and August 2018
This dataset contains measurements of dissolved hydrocarbons in from groundwater samples collected in the shale gas producing regions of West Virginia, USA, between June and August of 2018. The target analytes in this study were: methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), ethene (C2H4), ethyne (C2H2), propane (C3H8), propene (C3H6), i-butane (C4H10), n-butane (C4H10), 1-butene (C4H8), propyne (C3H4), i-pentaneDataset of trace dissolved hydrocarbons in surface water and groundwater in North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia between 2014 and 2017
This dataset contains measurements of dissolved hydrocarbons in various water sources, as well as ancillary raw calibration data showing the stability of the gas chromatograph with an atomic emission detector and flame ionization detector (GC-AED-FID) analytical system over time. Across multiple studies, samples from tap water, groundwater, surface water, springs, mine outflows, and blank materialSite and Groundwater-Quality Sample Data for Abandoned Underground Coal Mine Aquifers in West Virginia, July 13, 1973 through September 7, 2016
This Data Release is a compilation of existing water-quality data associated with groundwater resources originating from abandoned underground coal mines in West Virginia. Data were compiled from multiple sources for the purpose of understanding the suitability of groundwater from abandoned underground coal mines for public supply, industrial, agricultural, and other uses. This compilation include - Publications
Filter Total Items: 25
Hydrogeology, karst, and groundwater availability of Monroe County, West Virginia
Monroe County is in southeastern West Virginia, encompassing an area of 474 square miles. The area consists of karst and siliciclastic aquifers of Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, and Mississippian age and is in parts of two physiographic provinces: the Valley and Ridge Province to the east of Peters Mountain, and the Appalachian Plateau Province to the west of Peters Mountain. This study was develAuthorsMark D. Kozar, Daniel H. Doctor, William K. Jones, Nathan Chien, Cheyenne E. Cox, Randall C. Orndorff, David J. Weary, Mitchell R. Weaver, Mitchell A. McAdoo, Mercer ParkerGroundwater quality in abandoned underground coal mine aquifers across West Virginia
Abandoned underground coal mine aquifers cover a large part of West Virginia and could supply substantial quantities of water for agricultural, industrial, residential, and public use. Several Federal, State, and academic institutions have studied the availability and quality of water stored in abandoned underground coal mine aquifers for a variety of applications, such as economic development, geAuthorsMitchell A. McAdoo, Gregory T. Connock, Mark D. KozarGroundwater quality and geochemistry of the western wet gas part of the Marcellus Shale Oil and Gas Play in West Virginia
Thirty rural residential water wells in the wet gas region of the Marcellus Shale oil and gas play in northwestern West Virginia were sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2018, in cooperation with West Virginia State agencies, to analyze for a range of water-quality constituents, including major ions, trace metals, radionuclides, bacteria, and methane and other dissolved hydrocarbon gasAuthorsMark D. Kozar, Mitchell A. McAdoo, Karl B. HaaseGroundwater quality and geochemistry of West Virginia’s southern coal fields
Coal mining has been the dominant industry and land use in West Virginia’s southern coal fields since the mid-1800s. Mortality rates for a variety of serious chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer in Appalachian coal mining regions, are higher than in areas lacking substantial coal mining activity within the Appalachian Region or elsewhere in the United StateAuthorsMark D. Kozar, Mitchell A. McAdoo, Karl B. HaaseGroundwater-quality data associated with abandoned underground coal mine aquifers in West Virginia, 1973-2016: Compilation of existing data from multiple sources
This report describes a compilation of existing water-quality data associated with groundwater resources originating from abandoned underground coal mines in West Virginia. Data were compiled from multiple sources for the purpose of understanding the suitability of groundwater from abandoned underground coal mines for public supply, industrial, agricultural, and other uses. This compilation includAuthorsMitchell A. McAdoo, Mark D. KozarUse of modflow drain package for simulating inter-basin transfer in abandoned coal mines
Simulation of groundwater flow in abandoned mines is difficult, especially where flux to and from mines is unknown or poorly quantified, and inter-basin transfer of groundwater occurs. A 3-year study was conducted in the Elkhorn area, West Virginia to better understand groundwater-flow processes and inter-basin transfer in above drainage abandoned coal mines. The study area was specifically selectAuthorsMark D. Kozar, Kurt J. McCoyHydrogeology, groundwater flow, and groundwater quality of an abandoned underground coal-mine aquifer, Elkhorn Area, West Virginia
The Pocahontas No. 3 coal seam in southern West Virginia has been extensively mined by underground methods since the 1880’s. An extensive network of abandoned mine entries in the Pocahontas No. 3 has since filled with good-quality water, which is pumped from wells or springs discharging from mine portals (adits), and used as a source of water for public supplies. This report presents results of aAuthorsMark D. Kozar, Kurt J. McCoy, James Q. Britton, B.M. BlakeAssessment of hydrogeologic terrains, well-construction characteristics, groundwater hydraulics, and water-quality and microbial data for determination of surface-water-influenced groundwater supplies in West Virginia
In January 2014, a storage tank leaked, spilling a large quantity of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol into the Elk River in West Virginia and contaminating the water supply for more than 300,000 people. In response, the West Virginia Legislature passed Senate Bill 373, which requires the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (WVDHHR) to assess the susceptibility and vulnerability of pAuthorsMark D. Kozar, Katherine S. PaybinsHydrologic budget and conditions of Permian, Pennsylvanian, and Mississippian aquifers in the Appalachian Plateaus physiographic province
In response to challenges to groundwater availability posed by historic land-use practices, expanding development of hydrocarbon resources, and drought, the U.S. Geological Survey Groundwater Resources Program began a regional assessment of the Appalachian Plateaus aquifers in 2013 that incorporated a hydrologic landscape approach to estimate all components of the hydrologic system: surface runoffAuthorsKurt J. McCoy, Richard M. Yager, David L. Nelms, David E. Ladd, Jack Monti,, Mark D. KozarWater quality of groundwater and stream base flow in the Marcellus Shale Gas Field of the Monongahela River Basin, West Virginia, 2011-12
The Marcellus Shale gas field underlies portions of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Development of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling technology led to extensive development of gas from the Marcellus Shale beginning about 2007. The need to identify and monitor changes in water-quality conditions related to development of the Marcellus ShaleAuthorsDouglas B. Chambers, Mark D. Kozar, Terence Messinger, Michon L. Mulder, Adam J. Pelak, Jeremy S. WhiteQuality-assurance plan for groundwater activities, U.S. Geological Survey, Washington Water Science Center
This report documents the standard procedures, policies, and field methods used by the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Washington Water Science Center staff for activities related to the collection, processing, analysis, storage, and publication of groundwater data. This groundwater quality-assurance plan changes through time to accommodate new methods and requirements developed by the WashingtonAuthorsMark D. Kozar, Sue C. KahleGroundwater quality in West Virginia, 1993-2008
Approximately 42 percent of all West Virginians rely on groundwater for their domestic water supply. However, prior to 2008, the quality of the West Virginia’s groundwater resource was largely unknown. The need for a statewide assessment of groundwater quality prompted the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP), Division of WAuthorsDouglas B. Chambers, Mark D. Kozar, Jeremy S. White, Katherine S. Paybins - Web Tools
Interactive Map: Virginia and West Virginia Groundwater Levels and Trends
The Virginia and West Virginia Groundwater Levels and Trends web application provides access to groundwater level data from continuous groundwater wells across Virginia and West Virginia. Continuous wells include real time and non-real time wells. Data update daily and are compared to long-term monthly statistics.
Geonarrative: Land Motion and Subsidence on the Virginia Coastal Plain
Along the coast of Virginia, the USGS and our partners are constantly monitoring our land and waters in new and innovative ways. In Virginia, scientists at the Virginia and West Virginia Water Sciences Center are drilling deep into the Earth to assess the impacts of groundwater use. By studying the impacts of groundwater use, scientists can determine associated risks, such as land subsidence.