Preventing Erosion on Area-wide and Linear Mine Sites: Working from the Top Down

Abstract

Introduction Pollutants in the environment are most often just resources that are out of place. Soil erosion turns valuable topsoil into a pollutant: sediment. Protection and/or preservation of topsoil is essential for timely, cost-effective reclamation and restoration of mined areas. Where topsoil cannot be removed and replaced in a progressive manner, it should be stockpiled and protected until such time it can be placed and redistributed on re-graded mined areas. This principle applies not only to area-wide activities—such as strip mining—but also to linear, ancillary areas such as roads and slurry pipeline rights-of-way. Everything that is needed for successful establishment of stabilizing vegetation in final reclamation is contained in the upper most layers of the soil—seeds, viable plant roots, soil bacteria, nutrients. Take care of your topsoil . . . and your topsoil will take care of you. Once vegetation is removed as part of land disturbance activities—whether they are area-wide or linear in natu...