Peters Mountain Springs – Research and Reports

Between 2015 and 2019, ICWA partnered with West Virginia University on a multi-year project to study the properties—and potential interconnections—of springs along Peters Mountain. Lead researchers included WVU Associate Professor of Geology Dorothy Vesper and Master’s candidate Emily Bausher.

  • 17 data loggers were placed in 14 springs along the length of Peters Mountain from Sweet Springs to Peterstown, including springs serving our public water districts. Data generated every 10 minutes was used to help determine the relationship of the surface water to groundwater.
  • 5 stream gauges were installed in streams whose headwaters originate on Peters Mountain. These gauges helped determine the amount of water that flows from the Mountain.
  • All work was done with the generous permission and participation of private landowners and the county’s public water districts.
  • At the conclusion of the project, Prof. Vesper shared the results with landowners whose springs were involved and in an informal Q&A at an ICWA meeting open to the community.
  • Results of the study have also been shared with other researchers, including scientists involved in the USGS report, “Hydrogeology, Karst, and Groundwater Availability in Monroe County, WV,” released in December 2023.

View a 2021 presentation by Prof. Vesper to other geologists based on the WVU study of springs on Peters Mountain in Monroe County.