Parkersburg
Parkersburg, WV water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
Parkersburg is a small but growing city and the 3rd-largest in West Virginia, home to roughly 30,991 residents. Parkersburg's drinking water comes largely from the same regional sources that serve West Virginia: Ohio River, Kanawha River, and aquifers.
As elsewhere in West Virginia, the central challenge is aging infrastructure. The 2014 Elk River chemical spill exposed source-water vulnerability that still informs policy.
West Virginia reuses an estimated 3% of its treated wastewater and maintains minimal reuse programs; Parkersburg tracks moderate to severe drought conditions on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale.
Explore the West Virginia profile for statewide context, or dig into the water issues shaping Parkersburg below.
At a glance
- Population ~30,991 (3rd-largest in West Virginia)
- Primary sources: Ohio River, Kanawha River, and aquifers
- Drought: moderate to severe conditions
- State reuse rate: ~3% of wastewater
Statewide drought history
% of West Virginia in severe+ drought (Severe (D2) now).
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Common questions
Is tap water safe in Parkersburg?
Parkersburg is served by community water systems regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Statewide, 60.5% of West Virginia's systems have a recent health-based violation. Check your provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report for local results.
Where does Parkersburg get its water?
Parkersburg draws from the same regional sources that serve West Virginia: Ohio River, Kanawha River, aquifers.
Related water issues
Aging Infrastructure
Much of America's water infrastructure is decades past its design life, leaking trillions of gallons a year and demanding hundreds of billions in reinvestment.
ExplorePFAS Contamination
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances persist in water supplies for decades. New federal limits are forcing utilities nationwide to invest in advanced treatment.
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