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In order to encourage the establishment of an erosion controlling vegetative ground cover, low cost organic amendments and inorganic fertilizers were incorporated into an abandoned, non-acid generating mine tailings pond. By amending these gold mine tailings with a small quantity (3.7 kg m-2) of combined papermill sludge and fertilizer, a consistent and robust grass/Medicago sativa sward was established within the first growing season. This tailings amendment and the subsequent plant establishment lead to improvements in substrate fertility characteristics including aggregation, bulk density, as well as cation exchange capacity and organic content. Chemical fertility (available nitrogen and phosphorous) was ameliorated by all initial amendment treatments. However, the effect was relatively short-lived, with all amendment treatments returning to their background levels of these nutrients within one to two years. This study further proves the usefulness of papermill sludge as a low cost amendment for disturbed soil substrates, including mine tailings.

The purpose of this creative project was to derive and present recommendations for the reclamation of an Indiana sand, gravel, and stone quarry from barren land to productive wildlife habitat. Existing knowledge and technology in the fields of wildlife ecology and land reclamation were explored and applied to a case study site near Muncie, Indiana. The component features of good wildlife habitat were defined, and methods of analyzing the site for habitat quality were devised. Strategies for creating optimum conditions for wildlife on a site devastated by aggregate mining were developed. The final product of the study was a site plan showing recommended development for productive floral and faunal communities. All methods, processes, and decisions were documented in written and graphic form. / Department of Landscape Architecture

In order to encourage the establishment of an erosion controlling vegetative ground cover, low cost organic amendments and inorganic fertilizers were incorporated into an abandoned, non-acid generating mine tailings pond. By amending these gold mine tailings with a small quantity (3.7 kg m-2) of combined papermill sludge and fertilizer, a consistent and robust grass/Medicago sativa sward was established within the first growing season. This tailings amendment and the subsequent plant establishment lead to improvements in substrate fertility characteristics including aggregation, bulk density, as well as cation exchange capacity and organic content. Chemical fertility (available nitrogen and phosphorous) was ameliorated by all initial amendment treatments. However, the effect was relatively short-lived, with all amendment treatments returning to their background levels of these nutrients within one to two years. This study further proves the usefulness of papermill sludge as a low cost amendment for disturbed soil substrates, including mine tailings.

For sustainable water management, here is a necessity to consider alternatives, in addition to conventional systems. The aim of this research is to develop and demonstrate a sustainables, from and greywater reclamation system for WC flushing and it was started in 1994. In the UK there are no water quality standards for WC flushing water use. There were no design guidelines for greywater water reclamation and no published study on the supply-dernandb alance, in detail, for water recycling in institutions such as universities. The research has shown the feasibility of planned direct grey and storm water reclamation and recycling system to manage growing water and wastewater problems. This thesis is based on the information gathered from 4 universities, 3 hotels and 3 recreational centres, and experiences gained at Loughborough University during the development and demonstration of the full scale "in-house grey and roof water" reclamation and recycling systems. The water use, greywater quality and roof water characteristics were studied in detail and this information was used for the development of the reclamation and recycling system. The studies showed that the water usage at the university halls were not similar to usage in households. Unlike large water supply schemes, small in-house systems generate a large peak factor for water use. To avoid deficit, in addition to personal washing waters, a top-up of laundry wastewater or roof water, and a well-designed balancing tank is necessary. The demonstration study shows that there was no standby mains' water used, which means that the water reclaimed was sufficient for reuse. The quality characterisation study shows that the greywater and first flush storm water roof runoff were polluted. The characteristics of combined grey and roof water are suitable for biological treatment. Based on the infomation, a lab-scale unit was developed; the reactor characteristics and performance such as head losses and removal efficiency were monitored; and the unit was refined. Two novel multi-barrier reclamation systems were developed to achieve sufficient quantity and near potable quality of water with minimum maintenance and cost. During 1997 the grey and roof water recycling system with laboratory tested physical and biological reclamation processes without the use of coagulants and disinfection were installed. The performance of the treatment system was closely monitored until 1998. This provided benefits in near potable quality of reclaimed water, low head loss, reliability, failure free operation and simple maintenance. The reclaimed effluent from Project I and 2 met the UK/EU bathing water standards and was also able to meet the US EPA standards for WC flushing. The microbial (using coliform as an indicators) quality of reclaimed water without disinfection is acceptable for controlled recycling systems (carefully monitored and fully informed). There were no odour problems in the treated water or sludge blockages. Comparatively, Project I was more efficient at removing coliform, turbidity, solids (suspended, dissolved, volatile), and Project 2 better at removing carbon (organic and inorganic). A simple cost benefit analysis done for the recycling system at Royce Hall of Residence showed 10 years pay back. More detailed cost-benefit analysis including comparisons of new built and retrofit recycling system and fife cycle analysis are recommended. This study shows that most of the people questioned were accepted and were willing to consider using the recycling system for toilet flushing, if the water was clear, colourless, odour free, carried no risk and gave cost-benefits. During the demonstration stage the users willingly accepted non-potable grey water reuse.

Thousands of hectares of wetlands are being destroyed by oil sands mining in Alberta, and the industry must undertake wetland reclamation to compensate for these losses. Wetland vegetation has developed at some previously mined sites, however reclamation is thus far exploratory, and limited in extent. To inform reclamation practices and assist compliance monitoring I examined vegetation communities in 25 natural boreal wetlands and 20 oil sands reclaimed wetlands, developed a Vegetation-based Index of Biological Integrity (vIBI) to quantify the ecological health of wetlands, and identified possible physical and chemical barriers to reclamation. The vIBI identified 6 reclaimed wetlands in fair to good health, however reclaimed wetlands have different vegetation communities, do not produce the same level of aboveground biomass, and have lower levels of sediment nutrients than natural wetlands. To reclaim healthy wetlands, planning should focus on establishing appropriate species, and alleviate nutrient and sediment deficiencies. / Ecology

This research investigated the natural recovery of upland boreal forest vegetation on a peat-mineral mix substrate in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Alberta. Three sites, aged 26 to 34 years, were assessed to determine effects of substrate (pH, electrical conductivity, texture), topography, slope, aspect, hummock size, litter depth, tall shrub and tree stem densities, canopy cover, and tree ages on community composition and cover of upland boreal vegetation. Environmental variables that had the most influence on the plant communities were substrate texture (clay), tree canopy cover, and tall shrub stem density. The plant communities, which likely developed from early successional lowland communities, most closely approximate an upland boreal mixedwood forest in transition from an early to mid successional stage. Community development was concluded to be a product of measured environmental variables, with unmeasured factors such as propagule dispersal, germination conditions, and initial species composition also playing important roles. / Land Reclamation and Remediation