OCR Text |
Show municipal and industrial areas accentuate the need for considering these water uses in water resources programs. There are many instances where par- tially developed surface or ground water supplies are no longer adequate or are rapidly becoming inadequate. Public and industrial water supplies taken from ground water in some parts of the Mill Creek Valley at Cincinnati are approaching or have exceeded the recharge capacity of the underground reservoir. Industrial use of ground water in Louis- ville, Ky., and vicinity is about one-tenth of re- charge capacity, as shown by recently completed studies, but apparent water shortages occurred during World War II because of the pattern of developments. Industrial use of surface water in the Youngstown area is so great that new water supplies are essential if substantial industrial growth is to be practicable. The demand for public water supply at Columbus exceeds the present surface supply development. During World War II the demand for water for a war industry at Point Pleasant, W. Va., exceeded the capacity of wells, although the ground water reservoir was capable of yielding- the required supplies, and treatment of surface waters was undertaken. Generally, development of public and industrial water supplies has been performed by individual municipalities and private industries or by small groups associated for this purpose, and this practice will continue to be the usual procedure. However, there are cases where large-scale river projects undertaken by Federal, State, or other agencies have completely or partially satisfied water supply requirements. Mosquito Creek Reservoir in the Mahoning Basin provides storage for water supply for Warren, Ohio. The Berlin Reservoir provides water supply storage for other Mahoning Valley communities. Both of these reservoirs help regu- late water flow for the partial satisfaction of indus- trial requirements throughout the area. Low flow discharge from Delaware Reservoir on the Olentangy River above the city of Delaware assures an adequate water supply for that city. Burr Oak Reservoir in the Hocking River Basin is a combined flood control, water supply, and recreational development. Tygart Reservoir on Tygart River in West Virginia includes water sup- ply for Graf ton, and the Tygart and Youghiogheny Reservoirs xegulate water flows to improve water supplies at a number of downstream points includ- ing the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. All of the foregoing are completed Federal proj- ects (with Ohio cooperating at Burr Oak) which serve the functions of flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife in addition to water supply and flow regulation. The Pymatuning Reservoir in Pennsylvania and Ohio was constructed by the State of Pennsylvania to serve similar functions. Its flow regulation is very important along the She- nango and Beaver Rivers. Many of the reservoirs under construction or not yet started will provide opportunities for direct water supply in some areas and will regulate the flow of streams that are sources of water supply in other areas. The quality of water for domestic and industrial purposes varies throughout the basin. At Cincin- nati large expenditures have been made to remove tastes and odors caused by pollution of Ohio River water, that city's source of water supply. At Co- shocton, Ohio, brine intrusion from industrial waste is affecting the water supply. At Ironton, Ohio, the bacteria content from municipal waste exceeds safe limits. At Marietta, Ohio, brine intrusion into the well field from the Muskingum River is serious. Pollution caused by industrial and municipal waste discharges and acid mine drainage degrades the quality of waters used for industrial and public water supplies at many locations on the Kanawha River in West Virginia, the Monongahela and Al- legheny Rivers and their tributaries in Pennsyl- vania, and on other tributaries of the Ohio River. The principal method of preserving and improv- ing the quality of surface water supplies is by abate- ment of waste discharge to the streams. However, increased river flows supplement waste treatment. A combined program of pollution abatement and ground water development and integration of plan- ning for municipal and industrial water supply with all large-scale river developments will be neces- sary to meet the growing municipal and industrial water needs in this basin. Watershed Management Present Situation Erosion over much of the Ohio Basin results in deterioration of soil resources and deposition of eroded material on flood plains, in stream channels, and in reservoirs. Conservation of the soil re- sources, an essential activity which needs no further justification, plays an important part in holding water on the land and regulating runoff, and helps to reduce sedimentation in stream channels and reservoirs. 642 |