Coal Mine Reclamation Research Articles

Attitudes of environmental management personnel involved in surface coal mine reclamation in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada

Fundamental to significant improvements in the overall process of reclaiming high-elevation surface mine disturbances is an understanding of the role of the opinions and attitudes of the participants to the design of reclamation research and management programmes. An attitude/opinion survey employing the Total Design Method (TDM) was completed by 86 per cent of 116 potential respondents, including government regulators, seed and nursery stock suppliers, reclamation consultants and environmental and mining engineering personnel in private industry. Differences in attitudes were observed between occupational and experience subgroups of the population. A preoccupation with short-term economics was found, as well as a general lack of agreement on many technical issues for which there is consensus in the international literature. Cognitive oversimplification appears to be a problem within some of the occupational groups.

Performance standards and monitoring requirements of surface coal mine reclamation success in mountainous jurisdictions of western North America: a review

The regulatory performance standards and monitoring requirements that are used to evaluate reclamation success in nine western North America jurisdictions were reviewed. Ecosystem-based reclamation monitoring, a crucial part of regulatory enforcement and adaptive environmental management, was lacking in most jurisdictions. Reclamation practices and regulatory control in each jurisdiction would be improved greatly by effective long-term monitoring. A set of performance standards (including productivity, land use capability and functional dynamics) is proposed which better integrates with a phased bond release process. As well, a long-term hierarchical (population, community, ecosystem, landscape) monitoring programme is proposed.

98/00740 High altitude coal mine reclamation: an ecological audit of regulatory requirements, planning information and participant attitudes

98/00740 High altitude coal mine reclamation: an ecological audit of regulatory requirements, planning information and participant attitudes

Pennsylvania coal mine reclamation plan to use contaminated harbor sediments

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVNewsNEXTPennsylvania coal mine reclamation plan to use contaminated harbor sedimentsRae TysonCite this: Environ. Sci. Technol. 1997, 31, 10, 457APublication Date (Web):June 8, 2011Publication History Published online8 June 2011Published inissue 1 October 1997https://doi.org/10.1021/es9725099RIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views77Altmetric-Citations-LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit PDF (3 MB) Get e-AlertsSUBJECTS:Coal,Geological materials Get e-Alerts

97/04202 Municipal sludge use in coal mine reclamation and potential effects on the formation of acidic mine drainage

Olfactory Mucosal Lesions in F344 Rats Following Inhalation Exposure to Pyridine at Threshold Limit Value Concentrations. Nikula, K. J., and Lewis, J. L. (1994). Fundam. Appl. Toxicol. 23, 510-517.Pyridine is a volatile solvent used as an intermediate in the production of insecticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, and dyes. Pyridine is also found in tobacco smoke. Because inhalation is a primary route of exposure to pyridine, we examined the effect of inhaled pyridine on morphology at the portal of entry, the nose. Nasal tissues from F344/N rats exposed using a nose-only mode 6 hr/day for 4 days to either filtered air (controls) or one of two concentrations of pyridine vapor were examined histologically. The rats had been killed 18 hr after the last exposure. The two pyridine concentrations were the current threshold limit value (TLV, 5 ppm) and a high concentration (444 ppm). Olfactory epithelial lesions in rats exposed to both concentrations of pyridine included vacuolar degeneration of sustentacular cells; focal, marked attenuation of the epithelium; loss of vacuolar degeneration of sustentacullar cells; focal, marked attenuation of the epithelium; loss of neurons; and the presence of intraepithelial luminal structures. The lesions were only slightly more severe in the rats exposed to 444 ppm compared to those rats exposed to 5 ppm pyridine. The results show that inhalation of pyridine at the current TLV concentration of 5 or 444 ppm causes lesions in the olfactory epithelium of rats.

Surface Mine Land Reforestation: Using Poultry Litter

Poultry and coal production are two major industries concentrated in north-central Alabama. Standard surface coal mine reclamation procedures were compared to procedures utilizing poultry litter in an 3.24-ha mine site. Three 0.4-ha plots amended with litter at rates of 25, 50, and 100 mt/ha, were compared to a plot with mineral fertilizer (13N–13–P13K) at standard reclamation rates of 672 kg/ha, and a plot receiving no fertilizer or litter. All plots were amended with ground limestone and disced in 31 cm. A mix of fescue, lespedeza, rye, and clover was broadcast over all plots uniformly. Eight tree species; northern red oak, nuttall oak, willow oak, red maple, yellow poplar, royal paulownia, loblolly pine, and eastern red cedar were planted in all plots at 1482 trees/ha. Forage yields (1995–96) in litter-amended plots were two to three times higher than statewide hay production averages. High litter rates have had no negative effects on ground cover, tree survival, or ground water nitrates (NO3). This project demonstrates broiler litter use as an organic-matter amendment in a self-sustaining reclamation success.

Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy Automated Mapping Facilities Management System (AM/FM)

The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy realized the need exists to create a digital database that will provide improved mining and geologic information needed for the permitting and reclamation of coal mines; for reclaiming abandoned mine sites; for coal reserve and coal quality studies and for engineering studies related to subsidence, mine blowouts, and underground mine development. The Coalbed Mapping Project (CBM) and Automated Mapping Facilities Management System (AM/FM) were initiated to meet this need. The Coalbed Mapping Project`s main goal is to create a set of base maps that show underground-mining extents of each coalbed in each quadrangle in the Southwest Virginia Coal fields. The AM/FM System is comprised of integrated digital coverages of surface mine permits, water monitoring data, Abandoned Mined Land (AML) problem areas, complaint investigation information, and U.S.G.S. 7.5` digital topographic maps. It is clear that advances in automation technology permit us to access and utilize data as never before. This allows us to maximize the use of decreasing resources available to both industry and government. By making information available in the form of AM/FM and other digital systems, both access and ease of analysis are facilitated.

Geochemistry of Water and Mobilization and Transport of Solutes in Coal Mine Spoils, East-Central Texas

Reclamation of surface mines in Texas became mandatory in 1978, requiring that overburden removed during surface mining (mine spoils) be emplaced in open mine pits and land surface reshaped to pre-mining topography. The reclaimed land surface then is revegetated to control erosion. Shallow ground-water-flow systems that develop in reclaimed areas have geochemical characteristics substantially different from pre-mining conditions. Because the solutes produced by mine spoils potentially can degrade the quality of ground and surface water, the mining industry has developed methods of spoils emplacement and surface reclamation to mitigate these effects. Comparisons of chemical data from ground water collected from two coal mine reclamation sites in east-central Texas and results of a laboratory-controlled, column-leaching experiment on reclaimed spoil material from the area indicate that large amounts of solutes are mobilized from the spoil material. Increased concentrations of dissolved solids (550 to 6,050 milligrams per liter), dissolved sulfate (73 to 2,800 milligrams per liter), dissolved iron (2,000 to 160,000 micrograms per liter), and dissolved manganese (800 to 13,000 micrograms per liter) and low pH (4.0 to 6.2) in ground water from two reclaimed areas indicate these to be the primary water-quality concerns. However, reclamation practices and establishment of strongly reducing environmentsmore » in shallow ground water inhibit mobilization and transport of trace elements (including radium-226 and uranium-238, which are present in very small amounts in the ground water). Mass-balance models indicate that pyrite oxidation and dissolution of halite, carbonates, amorphous alumina, amorphous silica, and to a lesser extent, gypsum are reaction processes occurring in reclaimed spoils. Sulfate reduction was apparent in the aquifers from detection of sulfide in ground water; however, the magnitude of sulfate reduction was not substantial in mass-balance models.« less

The Effect of Coal Surface Mine Reclamation on Diurnal Lepidopteran Conservation

Diurnal lepidopteran and vegetational communities were surveyed on 18 reclaimed coal surface-mined sites and five reference, hardwood sites in south-western Virginia. Comparison of lepidopteran communities using detrended correspondence analysis suggested that lepidopteran community composition on later-successional reclaimed sites was approaching that of the surrounding hardwoods. Diurnal moth species richness and abundance increased with time since reclamation, whereas butterfly species richness and abundance decreased. Diurnal moth communities were better indicators of vegetational community composition and species richness than were butterfly communities. While most lepidopteran species commonly found in the hardwoods were recorded in later-successional reclaimed sites, a number of less common species were not observed in them. Therefore, the success of mine reclamation in restoring the full complement of lepidopteran species native to hardwood forest in this region is debatable and further consideration must be given to the long-term effects of current mine reclamation practices.

石炭政策とクリーン・コール・テクノロジー

In Japan, Coal Industry Policy has been focused, for many years, on industrial reactivation of her nation-wide coal mining regions and reclamation of devastated mining sites, etc. However, after fall in 1973, When the first oil crisis hit Japan, such new concepts as more expanded use of coal and increase of coal import from abroad came to be adopted, year after year, as an energy security policy.The post-eighth Coal Policy issued in 1991 had characters as so-called a final readjustment strategy and also as a part of Japan's energy policy. In this up-dated coal policy, two major targets were postulated such as follows;(1) stabilized coal demand and supply in the Asian Pacific region should be taken into consideration in addition to the traditional stabilized coal supply to Japan and (2) global environment issues should be considered as well as domestic pollution matters in Japan. To support this new strategy, new flexible targets have been highlighted and further development of advanced coal utilization technology has been accelerated in Japan.

Policies for the Planning and Reclamation of Coal-mined Landscapes: An International Comparison

Governments differ significantly in their attempts to mitigate the effects of mining disturbance. The approaches of Australia, Canada and the United States are reviewed here, relative to coal-mining reclamation. State and provincial examples (Queensland, Alberta and Montana) are used to illustrate legislation and planning below the national level. This paper explores three main issues that contribute to coal-mining reclamation: governmental level of legislation and planning; legislative scope; and inter-governmental co-ordination. The legislative histories vary, but are young and evolving. All require the submission of a reclamation plan before granting mining permits, enforce reclamation standards by security deposits and contain provisions for non-compliance. Australia and Canada are only beginning to address reclamation planning at the national level, whereas the United States has done so since 1977. The relationship to the environmental impact assessment process is uneven across the three nations. The...

Application of a Watershed Computer Model to Assess Reclaimed Landform Stability in Support of a Reclamation Liability Release

The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) instituted specific requirements for surface coal mine reclamation that included reclamation bonding and tied release of liability to achieving acceptable reclamation standards. Generally, such reclamation standards include successfully revegetating the site, achieving the approved postmine land use and minimizing disturbances to the prevailing hydrologic balance. For western surface coal mines the period of liability continues for a minimum of 10 years commencing with the last year of augmented seeding, fertilizing, irrigation or other work. This paper describes the methods and procedures conducted to evaluate the runoff and sediment yield response from approximately 2,700 acres of reclaimed lands at Peabody Western Coal Company`s (PWCC) Black Mesa Mine located near Kayenta, Arizona. These analyses were conducted in support of an application for liability release submitted to the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) for reclaimed interim land parcels within the 2,700 acres evaluated.

The Whitewood Mine Lake Construction Project

The purpose is to describe how Alberta`s cooperative regulatory process for coal mine reclamation was used to provide a solution to a problem that made all the stakeholders winners. The cooperation among the stakeholders (the company, local municipality, and several provincial government departments and agencies) resulted in construction of a useful lake and surrounding landscape to replace two lakes that had to be drained in advance of mining at the Whitewood Mine. The replacement lake occupies 18.5 hectares within a reclaimed area of 126 hectares. The lake and adjacent land will be exchanged with the Alberta Government for the land beneath the drained lakes and other land that TransAlta Utilities Corporation will mine later. The lake site is designated as a wildlife habitat area, recreational area, and parkland. The design process commenced in 1982, construction was in 1987/88, and the area was revegetated in 1988/89. The monitoring of the lake development and revegetated area continues. 5 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF NITROGEN CYCLING IN SUBALPINE RECLAIMED MINE SITES IN SOUTHEASTERN BRITISH COLUMBIA

The development of a nitrogen cycle in three subalpine reclaimed grasslands (1, 4 and 8 yr old) was studied in the field by following the flow of 15N through soil and plant components for 2 yr after the addition of labelled fertilizer. Comparative data were collected from an adjacent undisturbed native grassland. Plant recovery of labelled N accounted for an average of 76% and 79% in the 8- and 4-yr-old sites, respectively, but in the 1-yr-old site it accounted for only 43%. The proportion of plant nitrogen which was derived from fertilizer declined from 33% in the 1-yr-old site to 14% in the 4- and 8-yr-old sites and was 12% in the grassland. This decline was attributed to dilution of labelled N by mineralization of unlabelled organic N that had accumulated in the system in previous years. The active organic N fraction in the soil of the 8-yr-old site was five times larger than in the 1-yr-old site, and 1/2 to 1/3 as large as in the grassland. Enrichment of the microbial biomass with 15N was 5–10 times greater in the 1-yr-old site than in any of the other study sites. The ratio of active N/litter is proposed as a control on stability of reclaimed systems, with the ratio increasing to a steady-state as systems develop. We have concluded that N redistribution and recycling processes developed within 8 yr at the sites examined. Although the active fraction recycled N under conditions of annual fertilization, it remained a net N sink with its growth driven by C inputs from plant biomass generated by fertilizer inputs. After fertilization was terminated, growth of the active fraction slowed substantially, it continued to recycle N, and maintained its own characteristic plant productivity. Key words: 15N, nitrogen cycling, coal mine reclamation, active fraction

Wildlife and coal development: An overview

This paper briefly reviews the changes which have occurred in the past three hundred years in the public's attitudes toward our Nation's natural resources, particularly the wildlife resources. It discusses how these changing attitudes have contributed to today's surface coal mine reclamation laws which require that the disturbed land be restored to a level of productivity equal to or greater than that which occurred before mining. This paper stresses the need to manage each reclamation site on an ecosystem basis, recognizing the interrelationships of all the resource components. This paper emphasizes both the fundamental importance of the holistic approach to mine site reclamation and the responsibility that the wildlife biologist has to see to it that wildlife habitat considerations are incorporated into each phase of the reclamation plan. Brief management considerations are given to three unique reclamation habitat types; riparian, agriculture and forest.

Ecosystem development and natural succession in surface coal mine reclamation

Biotic and abiotic factors involved in surface coal mine reclamation were evaluated on 81 mine sites in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, USA. Soil moisture and organic content were the two most important factors in determining the establishment and growth of vegetation on mined lands. Soil bacteria and fungi populations were also related to these soil conditions, and soil micro-organisms were important in the decomposition of organic materials as well as factors in the rate and type of natural succession occurring on these lands. The succession of native plant species increases the density and stability of plant communities on mined lands. The importance of natural succession in mined-land reclamation and the use of these lands by wildlife is discussed.

Geomorphic Applications to Landscape Stability and Surface Coal Mining Reclamation, Northwestern New Mexico: ABSTRACT

The long-term success of surface coal mining reclamation in the strippable coal belts of northwestern New Mexico is dependent on the relative stability of undisturbed and restored landscapes. Landscape stability is measured by the rate of modification of a landscape component of a given age. Field instrumentation in selected watersheds measures modern rates of modification. Areas of rapid modification, or relative instability, include headwaters of high-relief watersheds and areas of active base-level lowering. Studies of the Quaternary geomorphic history in the coal belts indicate a variety of landscape ages. Relict landscapes of the Pleistocene indicate long-term stability, and many of these landscapes have been preserved by upper Quaternary eolian deposits. These stabl landscapes are characterized by high infiltration rates, low sediment yields, low relief, and relatively dense root systems. Landscape classification schemes incorporating modern geomorphic processes and relative landscape ages serve as analogs for reclaimed landscapes. Evaluating the success of postmining reclamation procedures requires that both internal (within reclaimed areas) and external (outside reclaimed areas) geomorphic variables be considered. Internal geomorphic variables include hillslope gradients and areal configurations, infiltration rates, degree of drainage integration, and surface roughness. External geomorphic variables include base-level changes, arroyo-headcutting rates, valley-fill geometry, and the ratio of bedrock to valley fill. Engineering designs are significant to internal variables, whereas the geomorphic history of a watershed influences the external variables. Research at the McKinley coal mine in northwestern New Mexico suggests that external variables pose the greatest threat to reclaimed landscapes. End_of_Article - Last_Page 573------------

Soil and plant characteristics as determining factors in site selection for surface coal mine reclamation

Four vegetative associations occur on surface mines located in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Seventeen different species of grasses and legumes and 30 different species of trees and shrubs were evaluated for their ability to become established and control erosion on surface mines. The amount of organic matter and soil moisture are the principle factors regulating the establishment of vegetative cover on surface mines. Those species possessing a fibrous root system are better able to adapt for erosion control than tap rooted species. Likewise, shrubs such as bristley locust (Robina hispida) and Silver Bush or Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) that will produce shoots when a root becomes exposed due to erosion are better adapted for erosion control than other species. The methods and species utilized during reclamation will determine, at least in part, the future use of the land and should establish conditions for natural succession to occur.