104B State Water Resources Research Institute Scope 3: Dynamics of trace metal and ion concentrations in reclaimed mountaintop removal and reference headwater streams

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 respectively.