Reclamation on the Cardinal River and Gregg River coal mines includes the construction of mine pit lakes connected to stream environments. Key physical, chemical and biological parameters of these “truck and shovel” lakes and their streams were investigated, and hypotheses regarding ecosystems and populations were tested. Findings include: Sphinx Lake and Pit Lake CD exhibit meromictic (partial-mixing) tendencies, but still function in a similar fashion to shallower, natural sub-alpine lakes. Elevated selenium concentrations as high as 16 ug/g (dry weight) were recorded in Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) eggs taken from gravid Sphinx Lake and Pit Lake CD fish. Potential detrimental effects associated with the bioaccumulation of selenium on fish reproduction were not observed. Stream water temperatures downstream of Sphinx Lake and Pit Lake CD were significantly warmer than in inlet streams and streams without pit lakes. Streambed concretions caused by calcite precipitation were documented and found to affect portions of the upper Gregg River basin. Remediation of this concretion is important for sustainability of trout populations. Aquatic communities including fish, invertebrates, zooplankton and aquatic plants are present in these pit lake systems. Athabasca Rainbow trout populations are self-propagating (spawning at the outlets) with higher densities downstream than there were prior to lake reclamation. The development of sub-alpine mine-pit lakes connected to the stream environment appears to be an appropriate and beneficial reclamation technique in this area. / xvi, 224 leaves : col. ill., map ; 28 cm

[Truncated abstract] The assessment of rehabilitation success is time consuming and costly for bauxite miners because large areas of land (~550 ha per year) are involved. In some cases, rehabilitation results in patches of bare or sparsely vegetated soil. This study uses remote sensing imagery to evaluate the growth of vegetation in rehabilitated bauxite mines in the Darling Range, W.A. This work has five aims, which are to (1) compare vegetation biomass within rehabilitated areas and nearby native forest; (2) analyse temporal changes in vegetation growth within the selected rehabilitated areas, in particular rehabilitated areas with patches of bare soil; (3) compare vegetation growth pre- and post- mining; (4) identify the best type of remotely sensed data for this particular study area, and (5) develop an index, which can classify the degree of vegetation patchiness within rehabilitated mine sites. This information will enable rehabilitation workers to identify patches in rehabilitated areas that may require further remediation. The study used RADARSAT, nine years of Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) maps (extracted from LANDSAT TM multivariate imagery and Quickbird imagery) and aerial photographs to evaluate forty-seven ~1 ha study sites. Image and map analyses were conducted mainly using ESRI’s software ArcGIS 8.3 and ER Mapper 6.4. Ground truthing was carried out to confirm and recognise the causes of bare patches within the rehabilitated mine sites ... The results indicate that differences in rehabilitation management do not affect this index but the extent of bare patches does. Due to the sensitivity of radar imagery to surface roughness, rehabilitated areas cannot be distinguished from the native forest using radar images. A building (crusher) appears to be the same as mature vegetation. Knowledge of the features in an area is therefore crucial when utilising RADARSAT. The beam elevation angle and profile of the RADARSAT image used, made superimposition of radar and optical imageries impossible. Speckle noise in RADARSAT images made it impossible to detect relatively small bare patches. In addition, the many cloud free days in Western Australia make optical imaging possible so that the ability of radar imagery to penetrate cloud is redundant for this type of study.

[Truncated abstract] Industrial processing to refine alumina from bauxite ore produces millions of tonnes of refining residue each year in Australia. Revegetation of bauxite residue sand (BRS) is problematic for a number of reasons. Harsh chemical conditions caused by residual NaOH from ore digestion mean plants must overcome extremely high pH (initially >12), saline and sodic conditions. At such high pH, manganese (Mn) is rapidly oxidised from Mn2+ to Mn4+. Plants can take up only Mn2+. Thus, Mn deficiency is common in plants used for direct BRS revegetation, and broadcast Mn fertilisers have low residual value. Added to this, physical conditions of low water-holding capacity and a highly compactable structure make BRS unfavourable for productive plant growth without constant and large inputs of water as well as Mn. However, environmental regulations stipulate that the residue disposal area at Pinjarra, Western Australia, be revegetated to conform with surrounding land uses. The major land use of the area is pasture for grazing stock. Hence, pasture revegetation with minimum requirement for fertiliser and water application is desirable. This thesis investigates a number of avenues with potential for maintaining a productive pasture system on BRS whilst reducing the current level of Mn fertiliser and irrigation input. Emphasis was placed on elucidation of chemical and physical factors affecting Mn availability to plants in BRS