Foreword

Introduction

Acknowledgments

Overview

Water Use

Topography of the County

Geology of the County

Groundwater Availability

Exploration for Groundwater

Mined-Out Areas as Sources of Water

Water Quality

Maps and Data

Additional Reading

References Cited

Definitions of Geologic Terms

Rock Descriptions

Discussion from McGrain and Currens (1978)

Leslie County is in the mountainous Eastern Kentucky coal field. Ridgetop elevations generally range from 1,400 to 1,600 feet in the north and from 2,000 to 2,200 feet in the south. The highest elevations in the county, in excess of 2,400 feet, are recorded on the Leslie-Harlan County line at the southern edge of the county. The highest point is Peters Knob with an elevation of 2,600 feet. Peters Knob is on that portion of the Leslie-Harlan County line which is also the divide between the drainage basins of the Kentucky and Cumberland Rivers.

Leslie County is well dissected by normal stream erosion. Practically all the county is drained by tributaries of the Kentucky River. The Middle Fork of the Kentucky River traverses the county from south to north and has carved a valley 900 to 1,000 feet below the adjacent upland. Buckhorn Lake, a flood-control facility, has a normal pool elevation of 757 feet, which is the lowest elevation in the county. The elevation of the flood pool is 820 feet. The elevation of Big Creek, where it leaves northwestern Leslie County, is approximately 850 feet.

The elevation of Hyden, the county seat, is 870 feet. Other elevations are Cutshin, 1,020 feet; Napier, 1,156 feet; and Wooten, 873 feet.

The 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle maps that cover the county are shown, by name and by index code (Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet) on the index map.

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