Surface hydrology of drainage basins disturbed by surface mining and reclamation, central Pennsylvania

Thesis/Dissertation · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:6251809

Ritter, J B

Infilration capacity of newly reclaimed minesoils is uniformly low (< 1 cm/hr) and generally increases (up to 6 cm/hr) with age, the magnitude of increase being dependent on soil characteristics and vegetation. In drainage basins with lower rates of infiltration recovery (< 2 cm/hr), infiltration-excess overland flow is the dominant runoff process. Increased peek runoff rate and stream power in the basins are sufficient to initiate drainage network evolution, with phases of network expansion and abstraction. In contrast, in basins where infiltration recovery is greater than 2 cm/hr, the hydrologic system is initially dominated by infiltration-excess overland flow but evolves toward a system dominated by saturation overland flow. Drainage development is limited to skeletal network initiation and elongation and occurs during the early period of infiltration-excess dominated flow conditions. Total runoff remains essentially constant due to increased proportions of return flow, reflected in the extended and less steep recession limb of saturation-dominated storm hydrographs. The results of this study are applicable to hydrologic prediction for purposes of surface mine permitting and reclamation design. Previously limited availability of rainfall-runoff data from watersheds disturbed by surface mining preclude adequate calibration of empirical methods, such as the runoff curve number method, or evaluation of a more sophisticated approach, such as the use of distributed hydrologic models, for hydrologic prediction. Runoff curve numbers calibrated by means of rainfall-runoff data from the study drainage basins indicate that presently accepted methods of determining curve numbers, using pre-mine soil classification, underestimate total runoff by as much as 50%.

• Research Organization: Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)
• OSTI ID: 6251809
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010900* -- Coal
Lignite
&amp; Peat-- Environmental Aspects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540250 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Site Resource &amp; Use Studies-- (1990-)
540350 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Site Resource &amp; Use Studies-- (1990-)
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
AGE DEPENDENCE
CLASSIFICATION
COAL MINING
DESIGN
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DRAINAGE
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FEDERAL REGION III
HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY
HYDROLOGY
LAND RECLAMATION
MASS TRANSFER
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
PENNSYLVANIA
PERMITS
PLANNING
PLANTS
RECOMMENDATIONS
RUNOFF
SOILS
SURFACE MINING
USA
WATERSHEDS