Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2016KY257B

Dynamics of trace metal and ion concentrations in reclaimed mountaintop removal and reference headwater streams

Institute: Kentucky
Year Established: 2016 Start Date: 2016-03-01 End Date: 2017-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $4,656 Total Non-Federal Funds: $10,471

Principal Investigators: Steven Price

Project Summary: Mountaintop removal mining often results in the complete or partial burial of low-order headwater streams via valley-filling, the process by which rock (i.e., overburden materials) is discarded from the mine site into adjacent valleys. The proposed Stream Protection Rule emphasizes the importance of maintaining the integrity of headwater streams. The objective of this study is to compare trace metal and ion concentrations in 11 reclaimed mountaintop removal/valley fill headwater streams and 12 reference un-mined headwater streams, located on the Laurel Fork surface mine and the University of Kentucky Robinson Forest.