ABSTRACT
The impacts of surface mining on stream quality result directly from the land disturbance activity. Unweathered earth materials brought to the surface during mining undergo rapid alterations due to exposure to air and water, thereby releasing many of their structural constituents into water.[1] When disturbed rock and soil is exposed to precipitation (e.g., rainfall, snow, hail, dew, etc.), water running off these materials carries solid particles (also known as sediments) as well as dissolved constituents such as salts, metals, trace elements, and/or organic compounds that can pollute nearby surface waters. Water may also percolate into the disturbed materials causing movement and leaching of salts, metals, and trace elements into deeper levels causing potential groundwater quality impacts.[2] The chemistry of the water is highly dependent on the overburden or earthy materials that were disturbed during the mining process.
