Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2008PR45B

OPEN PIT QUARRY RESTORATION TO BIO-VIABLE LAND

Institute: Puerto Rico
Year Established: 2008 Start Date: 2008-03-01 End Date: 2011-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $60,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $87,706

Principal Investigators: Sangchul Hwang

Project Summary: Open pit quarries potentially represent physical risks to safety of people and stock due to dangerous vertical pit walls or deep water. And also, they can be a possible source of environmental pollution from water accumulation unless properly drained. Other pits become arenas for off-road vehicle use, illegal dumping, trespass, and unauthorized activities like target shooting. Open pits have been restored or reclaimed to different types of environmental matrices depending on their end uses and the location and nature of the pits. The objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of coal combustion byproduct (CCP) aggregates (AGREMAX, hereafter)-based refill in the open pits in Santa Isabel. The site is planned to be used as an agricultural land after restoration. Therefore, another objective is to assess the potential risks in relation to contamination of soil and groundwater associated with the use of AGREMAX. To meet this end, laboratory feasibility tests and computational modeling are proposed to perform for the period of 2 years.