ABSTRACTSalt‐water migration into relatively shallow rocks in the western half of West Virginia is already rather far advanced. Because of the wide distribution of salty ground water and connate brine at various depths, it is difficult to determine how much of the contamination is natural and how much is the result of subsurface industrial activities. Although some local salt‐water problems are the result of oil and gas operations, much of the regional near‐surface salt water is a natural condition unrelated to deep drilling or other industrial activities.Ground water is usually more abundant from consolidated aquifers beneath the valleys than from beneath the ridges. However, the presence of shallow salt water beneath the valleys imposes limitations on the availability of fresh water from a single well. Because most well fields must be located along the populated valleys, the problem of interception of salt water is the most important factor limiting development of consolidated bedrock aquifers. By utilizing the history of development and operation of well fields, an estimate of the availability of fresh water can be made, and test drilling and new well field construction guided accordingly.During 1971 to 1974, more than a dozen small communities in Logan and Boone Counties started development of public‐water supplies from wells. Existing water‐supply problems in these areas are being solved by using the cumulative experience of other communities in the area. Ground water is currently being developed in valley areas of Logan County such as Man to Lorado, Essie to Big Creek, and Huff Creek to Mallory. Adequate well fields have recently been successfully constructed just above shallow salt water in bedrock aquifers at Hattie in Calhoun County, near Madison in Boone County, near Southside in Mason County, and at Prichard in Wayne County. In all of these areas of successful construction, the essential information for initial test drilling was obtained by detailed hydrogeologic work at the prospective sites. Most important was the determination of the maximum depth of fresh water, well spacing and pump