Reclamation costs for prime farmland and alluvial valleys--a computerized analysis

Conference · Sat Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1979 · Univ. Ky., Off. Eng. Serv., (Bull.); (United States)

OSTI ID:5409858

Scott, M D

The CLAIM computerized reclamation planning system is a new tool for estimating the costs of reclaiming coal surface mines in the northern Great Plains. The system determines reclamation costs for five main land use options, and includes the costs of reclaiming prime agricultural land and small alluvial valleys. When mining prime farm lands with a large dragline, rehandling and burying of a toxic spoil layer, if present, is the single most expensive reclamation cost--amounting to 10-15 thousand dollars per acre. The second greatest cost in reclaiming farm land is stripping and replacing topsoil and subsoil, which costs 4-6 thousand dollars per acre. Grading spoils to farmland topography also constitutes a great expense, especially when reclaiming opening box cut spoils, or the final cut highwall. At large mines, if hauling costs are less than $.50/cu yd, it may be cheaper to haul the opening cut spoil to fill the final cut pit, rather than attempt to grade these areas to cropland topography. A dragline also must rehandle alluvium when reestablishing the hydrologic characteristics of an alluvial valley floor--at a similarly high cost per acre. Special handling of toxic strata of alluvium is far more economical with truck and shovel mines, because this involves just planning the routing of equipment, rather than a double handle of some spoils as is required of a dragline.

• Research Organization: Montana State Univ., Bozeman
• OSTI ID: 5409858
• Report Number(s): CONF-791262-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Univ. Ky., Off. Eng. Serv., (Bull.); (United States)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010800* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Waste Management
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
510500 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (-1989)
530200 -- Environmental-Social Aspects of Energy Technologies-- Assessment of Energy Technologies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS
COAL MINING
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
EARTHMOVING EQUIPMENT
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
EQUIPMENT
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GREAT PLAINS
LAND RECLAMATION
MATERIALS HANDLING
MATERIALS HANDLING EQUIPMENT
MINING
PLANNING
SIMULATION
SURFACE MINING