The Kanawha River was declared as an American Heritage River in 1998, speaking to its importance as both a local and national icon. Because of it’s unique course and its existence prior to the formation of the Appalachian mountains, the Kanawha River is regarded as the second oldest river in the world. The Kanawha River also serves as the primary source of water for southern West Virginia. Water contained in reservoirs is used for domestic purposes, agriculture, industry, and power generation. Furthermore, water contained in aquifers is used outside of municipalities in well water. As one might imagine, not all of these stakeholders can be satisfied sans conflict all the time, which makes management of this precious resource vital to the economic, social, cultural, and environmental health of the region.
In addition to being a source of drinking water, locals also use the Kanawha River for recreational purposes. Although this occurs most directly in the summer months, the region also draws tourists searching for fantastic views, which can be found in public access viewpoints scattered throughout the New River Gorge. On the water recreation usages include fishing, boating, water sports on lakes created by dams, swimming, and camping. Due to the highly varied uses of water from the Kanawha River, and the seasonal nature of certain recreations, individuals may belong to one or more stakeholder categories, creating complexity in the management profile of the region’s water.