Hydrology of reclaimed opencast coal-mined land: A review

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Abstract
The success or failure of a land reclamation project is to a considerable extent determined by the management of surface runoff and drainage. Reclaimed overburden tends to allow little infiltration because of compaction during reclamation, subsidence, and the accelerated weathering of coal shales. This rapid production of fine sediment also tends to make subsurface drainage difficult to maintain. Applied topsoils tend to be damaged by storage and emplacement. The thin surface layer they provide cannot store much surface water. Consequently, most reclaimed surface-mined sites provide more runoff more quickly than undisturbed areas. This results in higher flood peaks, reduced base flow, shorter lag times between rainfall and flood peak, reduced groundwater recharge, and higher sediment loads In affected catchments.