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liberate large quantities of the metals to the stream. Under <br />normal conditions these metals are collected and stored in the <br />peat. They become available for leaching into stream waters upon <br />drainage because of a change from reducing to oxidizing <br />conditions. <br />Among the changes that occur, an increase in the total <br />suspended solids leaving the excavated area seems to occur <br />consistently at all the sites. At the Windmill site, this <br />parameter increased by a factor of 30 times over the undisturbed <br />conditions upstream (eg. from 2mg /l to 60 mg /1). At the <br />Sacramento and Carpenter sites, the increase was only 2 to 4 <br />times the undisturbed level. There the increases were from 12 to <br />26, and 14 to 60 mg /1, respectively. <br />In conclusion, it appears that the excavation of peat can <br />have a significant impact on the hydrology and water quality of <br />excavated areas and their surrounding environs. The implications <br />of these impacts on downstream areas, aquatic life, and <br />revegetation efforts is uncertain and is probably dependant on <br />site - specific characteristics. Factors such as soil pyrite <br />concentration, size of the excavation, water relations after <br />excavation, and application of best management practices are <br />potentially the most important in minimizing the adverse effects <br />of excavation on hydrology and water quality. <br />44 <br />