Reclamation of Mined Lands in the Western Coal Region 



By Perry F. Narten', Stephen F. Lintner', John W. Allingham\ 

 Lee Foster^ Daniel M. Larsen^ and Harry C. McWreath NT 



Abstract 



In 1978, a group of scientists from several Federal agen- 

 cies examined reclamation work at 22 coal mines in seven 

 western States. The results of these examinations were not 

 used to derive quantitative predictions of the outcome of 

 reclamation work but rather to determine the general re- 

 quirements for revegetation success. Locally, reclamation 

 efforts are affected by climate, especially precipitation; the 

 landform of the restored surface; the nature of the over- 

 burden material; the nature of the surface soil; and the na- 

 tural ecological system. The goals of reclamation efforts 

 are now broader than ever. Regulations call not only for re- 

 ducing the steepness of the final surface and establishing a 

 cover of mostly perennial native vegetation, but for re- 

 storing the land for specific land uses, achieving diversity 

 both in types of plants and in number of species, and rein- 

 troduction of biological and ecological processes. If spe- 

 cific sites are monitored over a long enough period of time, 

 quantitative predictions of success for individual mines 

 may be possible, and such predictions can be included in 

 environmental impact statements to help in the decision- 

 making process. The results of this study indicate that 

 current reclamation objectives can be met when the recla- 

 mation effort is designed on the basis of site-specific needs 

 and when existing technology is used. 



INTRODUCTION 



In October and November of 1978, scientists 

 from the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of 

 Land Management, the Office of Surface Mining 

 Reclamation and Enforcement, and the U.S. 

 Forest Service visited 22 western coal mines at 

 17 locations in North Dakota, Montana, Wyo- 

 ming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New/ Mexico 

 (fig. 1) to assess reclamation practices, to find 

 out what had been accomplished and what was 

 being done in planned reclamation, and to deter- 

 mine, if possible, what happens when minimal or 



'Geological Survey. U.S. Department of the Interior. 

 'Forest Service. U.S. Department of Agriculture, 



no attempts have been made at reclamation. 

 These visits were made mostly to determine the 

 outcome of revegetation work in respect to as- 

 sessing environmental impacts of proposed coal 

 mine development and forecasting reclamation 

 success. Some observations were also made on 

 techniques such as planting-site preparation 

 and other factors that influence success. 



The condition of land when it is abandoned 

 after mining has been a major public concern 

 and the focus of studies, laws, and regulations 

 on reclamation. Regulatory agencies and the 

 mining industry have made varied attempts at 

 prescribing and implementing reclamation. This 

 paper describes what is being done and delimits 

 some predictions about the probable long-term 

 effectiveness of present-day reclamation efforts 

 in the western coal region. 



To reach environmentally sound decisions on 

 coal mine development, practical answers are 

 needed to the following questions: Can self- 

 sustaining diverse plant communities com- 

 posed primarily of native species be reestab- 

 lished? What will be the eventual vegetative 

 production potentials of reclaimed land? 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



The Federal team that conducted this study 

 was assisted and guided by reclamation consult- 

 ant Ed Nobel, who had participated in a 1976-77 

 detailed examination of plant and soil relation- 

 ships on many of the same mines (Packer and 

 others, 1981; Nobel, 1978a and b). Shirley Lind- 

 say of the U.S. Office of Surface Mining and 

 John Lovell of the U.S. Bureau of Land Manage- 

 ment (now with the Office of Surface Mining), 

 both with extensive experience in western coal 



