Wheeling
Wheeling, WV water profile — supply sources, drought status, wastewater reuse, and the key water issues facing the city.
wheeling
surface water (rivers/reservoirs) · local government · PWSID WV3303516
Below EPA's 15 ppb lead action level at last testing.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) · 2026 Q1
Wheeling is a small but growing city and the 5th-largest in West Virginia, home to roughly 27,648 residents. Wheeling'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; Wheeling 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 Wheeling below.
Ohio County water quality
Source: EPA SDWIS · 2026 Q1
At a glance
- Population ~27,648 (5th-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 Wheeling?
Wheeling's largest water system, WHEELING, serves about 29,899 people. EPA records show 4 health-based violation(s) since 2016 and a most-recent 90th-percentile lead level of 0 ppb (EPA action level is 15 ppb). Always check your own provider's annual Consumer Confidence Report.
Where does Wheeling get its water?
WHEELING draws primarily from surface water (rivers/reservoirs), part of West Virginia's supply from 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.
Explore