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HYDROLOGIC AND EROSIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF REGRADED <br />SURFACE COAL MINED LAND IN COLORADO <br />ABSTRACT <br />Land disturbed by surface mining in Colorado and other western <br />states has increased substantially over the past several years and is <br />likely to increase even more in the future. This study was initiated to <br />provide basic information on hydrologic and erosional characteristics of <br />regraded coal spoils in Colorado as an aid for planning future reclamation <br />activities. <br />Eleven of twenty-one surface mines licensed in Colorado were sampled <br /> during the summer of 1980 and 1981. Mines not sampled included mines <br />• which had not progressed to the point that reclamation had begun, and <br /> mines where operators denied permission to sample. All coal regions were <br /> sampled with the exception of the San Juan Coal Field. <br /> Physical and hydrologic characteristics of regraded coal spoils in <br /> Colorado were determined using standard field and laboratory procedures. <br /> Field sampling included characterization of sites (slope, vegetation <br /> density, proportion of surface rock, bare soil, etc.) and infiltration <br /> measurements using a 1-meter square drop former raining on a 1/2 square <br /> meter rectangular plot frame. Core samples collected in the field were <br /> analyzed for saturated hydraulic conductivity, bulk density, organic <br /> matter, moisture retention and texture. The erosion potential of each <br /> site was determined using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). <br /> Results of the sampling indicate that infiltration rates vary widely <br /> 40th within and between sites. However, definite trends with respect to <br />ii <br />