Climatic and Hydrologic Factors Associated with Reclamation

Abstract

Fundamental goals of reclamation include revegetation and erosion management. Climate and water fluxes are fundamental controls of these processes. Successful reclamation of disturbed lands, therefore, requires procedures that are compatible with interacting natural physical and biologic processes on disturbed-surface materials. This chapter provides a summary of climatic conditions in North America and of hydrologic processes pertinent to the reclamation of disturbed lands. Water-balance concepts are emphasized for watersheds that are mined and reclaimed to standards consistent with social and economic responsibility. Following, therefore, is a discussion of those climatic variables and regional hydrologic characteristics that must be considered to achieve the reclamation objectives mandated by laws and regulations, in particular—Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA). As a supplement to the discussions of climatic conditions and hydrologic processes, selected elements of SMCRA are provided to specify various reclamation obligations imposed on surface-mine operators.

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