Based on the data developed by the WV DEP in the middle of the last decade, WV enjoys an amazing water resource.  Streams marked in blue are the 640-odd streams (a few lakes aren't plotted) recognized in the state's submission to the US EPA's National Water Quality Database in 2007.  This database is available for download in the "WV Resources" menu in the sidebar so you can plot them in Google Earth yourself.

Source:  The National Water Quality Database, Google Earth

It's amazing to me that political discourse in this country has degraded to the point where facts become adjudicated on the basis of politics.  Such is the fate of WV, where a major political battle is taking place right now (January 2011) over the definition of a trout stream.  Of course, a trout stream isn't just a trout stream.  Under the Clean Water Act, if a stream is so designated, it greatly reduces the ability of anyone (read mining and timber interests) to develop resources in a way that would degrade water quality.  Hence the politics.

But in WV, it's become surreal.  As part of its submission to the EPA circa 2007, the WV EPA submitted a list of 647 water bodies (almost all streams) designated as "trout waters", i.e. as water which scientifically was determined to support populations of trout.  That list is reproduced below and is contained in the database pictured above.  If the "Waterbody Entity ID" is a link in the list, you can click on it to see it's location in an EPA mapping application.

Prior to 2007, the state recognized some 300-odd streams as "trout waters".  In 2006, the WVEPA submitted a list of an additional 300 plus streams to be added to the list.  Then it gets confusing.  From what I gather, after intensive lobbying, the state legislature determined to take away the state EPA's power to manage these lists, and assumed direct legislative control.  As far as I can tell, none of the new streams were added.

Indeed, this year, the governor of WV has proposed to cut the list to roughly 175 streams segments, a quarter of the actual stream segments holding trout!

Anyway, as a public service, we're reproducing the full list.

BTW, the Federal EPA no longer collects this data.  It's now been "decentralized" and responsibility for collecting and publishing this data has devolved to the states... I challenge you to find anything like a complete list on the WV EPA website.  The next time there's a battle like this, it won't be nearly so public.