Stream Restoration Solutions on Mined Lands

Mined land reclamation often includes stream construction and restoration.  The challenges of this on mined lands are multi-faceted, however include:  lack of topsoil, extreme water loss, uncompacted sediments, significantly altered topography, contaminated sediments, lack of vegetation, lack of stream connectivity, land subsidence, stream crossings, and loss of connection to groundwater systems.  This paper will give an overview of these issues, common successful stream restoration practices, and the design and implementation of these practices as demonstrated by two case studies.  One case study will focus on a stream reconstruction at a former surface and subsurface mine.  This site included removing mine waste, loss of surface water to deep mine workings, and integrating existing, but poorly designed stream crossings.  The second site is a location of surface mine subsidence as a result of deep long wall mining.  Under streams, land subsidence in some cases is minor and results in the creation of wetlands.  In other cases the subsidence results in large pools where once was a flowing stream.  In both cases, the aquatic resources are dramatically changed, and in fact instream wetlands or pools can become barriers to fish movement, thereby disconnecting stream systems.  This case study discusses the innovative strategies that can be implemented to accommodate the subsidence and preserve the stream without the necessity of fill.