Limnology of Acid and Alkaline Strip-Mine Lakes in Southeast Kansas

Abstract

The limnology of six southeastern Sansas stripmine lakes was shldied for 1 year. Fourteen criteria of habitat quality were monitored monthly. The data collected indicate that acid and alkaline stripmine lakes do not differ greatly in water chemistry e7cept for reserve acidity, alkalinity and pH. Trans. Kans. Acad. Sci., 7B (3), 1973. Introduction A prominent feature vf the ecology of southeastern Kansas is strip-mined land. Approximately 40,000 acres have been mined in Crawford and Cherokee counties (Kans. Geol. Sur.? 1966). Water covers an estimated 89 (3200 acres) of this land. Approximately 20Q< (640 acres) is characterized by low pH values (Burner, 1953). Schoonover and Coates ( 1949 ) reported that strip-mine lakes (f the area were usually less productive than other bodies of water in Kansas. A lack of shallow areas and an unproductive bottom were considered significarlt. Burner and Leist (1953) found the chemical conditions of one lake in southeastern Kansas to be within the range of values found in productive lakes, but no Ssh population was present. The lack of shallow bottom areas and steep banks was thought to be responsible. Maupin, Wells and Leist (1954) reported that although environmental conditions in strip-mine lakes appear suitable for the maintenance of good Ssh populations, such populations are seldom found. The source of the acid in these strip-mine lakes is iron disulfide. principally in the pyritic form (Temple and Koehler, 1954) The chemical effects of the oxidaticon of pyritic sulfur to slllfuric acid have been previously discussed (Waller, 1967). The slow rate of natural succession in acid strip-tnine lakes is well known (Campbell, Lind, Geiling and Harp, 1965; Lind and Campbell, 1970). Methods and proposals for neutralyzing acid mine drainage are numerous) but not many have been found tc) be satisfactory (Baffa, 1960; Cole, 1960). Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science, Vol. 76, No. 3, 1973. Published J uly 19 1974. 1 This paper is taken from the senior author's M. S, Thesis, Kansas State College, Pittsburg, Kansas. 2 Present Address: Stearns-Roger, Inc., Environmental Sciences Division, P.O. Box 5888, Denver, (:Colorado 8()217.