IMPACT OF SURFACE COAL-MINING ON 3 OHIO WATERSHEDS - GROUNDWATER CHEMISTRY

A study was conducted to determine the effects of surface mining and reclamation on ground-water chemistry in three saturated zones in each of three small East-Central Ohio watersheds. The extensive disturbances of mining and reclamation: (1) caused more changes in constituent concentrations in the upper zone than in lower zones, most of which were statistically significant increases (many were "drastic"); (2) affected ground-water chemistry in lower zones - those that were not physically disturbed; (3) tended to increase the frequency of exceedance of regulated constituents in all saturated zones; and (4) affected the chemistry of surface baseflow water at the watershed outlets. Several constituents were still changing at the end of the project within all sites and zones.