Hydrologic Restoration of the Lac des Allemands Swamp, Barataria, Louisiana

Most of the forested wetlands of coastal Louisiana are in decline, primarily due to impoundment and increased flood duration. The Lac des Allemands swamp of Barataria Basin was a prime example of prolonged inundation prior to hydrologic restoration completed in February of 2018; the swamp had been impounded for over 60 years. To characterize restoration benefits, eight paired 625 m2 permanent sites were established close to and halfway between eight 30 m × 122 m gaps cut into the spoil bank of Bayou Chevreuil. During 2018, canopy closure increased by 20%. In addition, aboveground production of wood and leaves increased over 2017 from 2018–2020. Furthermore, natural regeneration has occurred annually and many of the seedlings are now approximately 1 m tall. In conclusion, hydrologic restoration of impounded wetlands in coastal Louisiana is an extremely cost-effective landscape restoration method.

Mobility of Potentially Toxic Elements from the Abandoned Uranium Mine’s Spoil Bank

This study is part of the ongoing environmental monitoring program of the abandoned Mecsek uranium mine during the remediation period. During this program on the recultivated No.1 spoil bank, the radioactivity and the potentially toxic element (PTE) contents in the covering soil had shown some anomalies which refers to possible migration alongside the slope. Therefore, in a previous study, soil and plant samples were collected from top to bottom position of the slope and the total element content was determined by multi-elemental inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. The results have indicated that there was a high possibility for PTEs to be mobile and available for uptake by plants. To confirm this indication in the present study for the soil samples the BCR sequential extraction procedure was applied to characterise the environmental mobility of PTEs, and it was compared with soil pH and cation exchange capacity (CEC). The results indicated that the ratio of Cd, Co, Mn, Pb, and U in the non-residual fractions ranged between 36.8 to 100 % and increased from top to bottom direction. The comparison showed that the samples with the lowest pH and CEC had the most mobility of the PTEs. The distribution of U, Cd, Mn, Co, and Pb in fractions indicated that some parts of the spoil deposit require additional steps to hinder the migration through the covering soil layer, and the BCR sequential extraction procedure has proven to be useful in providing information for the planning and management of remediation operations.

Free Discharge of Subsurface Drainage Effluent: An Alternate Design of the Surface Drain System in Pakistan

In Pakistan, many subsurface (SS) drainage projects were launched by the Salinity Control and Reclamation Project (SCARP) to deal with twin problems (waterlogging and salinity). In some cases, sump pumps were installed for the disposal of SS effluent into surface drainage channels. Presently, sump pumps have become dysfunctional due to social and financial constraints. This study evaluates the alternate design of the Paharang drainage system that could permit the discharge of the SS drainage system in the response of gravity. The proposed design was completed after many successive trials in terms of lowering the bed level and decreasing the channel bed slope. Interconnected MS-Excel worksheets were developed to design the L-section and X-section. Design continuity of the drainage system was achieved by ensuring the bed and water levels of the receiving drain were lower than the outfalling drain. The drain cross-section was set within the present row with a few changes on the service roadside. The channel side slope was taken as 1:1.5 and the spoil bank inner and outer slopes were kept as 1:2 for the entire design. The earthwork was calculated in terms of excavation for lowering the bed level and increasing the drain section to place the excavated materials in a specific manner. The study showed that modification in the design of the Paharang drainage system is technically admissible and allows for the continuous discharge of SS drainage effluent from the area.

The Life and Death and Consequences of Canals and Spoil Banks in Salt Marshes

We describe the consequence and demise of levees (spoil banks) built from dredging canals in Louisiana salt marshes using morphometric measurements made over 30 years, soil collections on the spoil bank and in the salt marshes behind, and complementary observations from other areas. These measurements were used to determine the temporal bounds of how long spoil banks last and if salt marsh soils remaining in salt marshes are affected. If the rates of changes in spoil bank morphology continue, then the estimated life time of the shrub-tree vegetation at a representative spoil bank is 81 years, the spoil bank width is 89 years, and the dredged channel will erode to the center of the spoil bank after 118 years. The soils in marshes behind the spoil bank have a higher bulk density than in reference marshes, accumulate more mineral matter per year, have lower root mass and are weaker. These observations are compatible with measurements of spoil bank width, vegetative cover and soil compaction, and the conversion from wetland to open water on a coastwide scale.

Study of the Conditions for Construction of the Haulage Berm in the Deposit Ledger-Wall

To reduce transportation distance and shipping cost for rock haulage with a single-side development system, it is relevant to build roads on the spoil bank of the open-pit. The article reviews factors affecting stability of the spoil bank and the most common types of deformation. The backward calculation method for obtaining resistance to shear characteristics of the base rocks in contact with a road embankment has been described. Schemes for road constructions on the spoil bank of the open-pit have been considered. Mining and geometric simulation of the road base has been built. Zoning of the road base as per slope angle of the underlying rock and parameters of the haulage berm allow tracing rapidly axis of the technological and engineering roads for actual engineering and geological conditions. Besides, measures to reduce risk factors of landslides during construction of the haulage berm at deposit ledger-wall have been considered.

Selection of the Investor’s Type for the Project Utilization of a Man-Made Deposit Using Hierarchy Process Method

Factors influencing the volumes of investments in spoil banks reclamation are considered. Using goal hierarchy, all possible types of investors are analyzed, as well as their goals when obtaining licenses for the development of man-made deposits. On the example of Lvov basin spoil banks, four types of investors are systematized and different priorities of goals are assessed, the environmental criterion always being the first priority. It is made to prevent environmental catastrophe while developing man-made deposits in the region. Using the matrix of pair comparison, it is proved that the state or community is the optimal investor in developing man-made deposits. Both foreign investor and the spoil-bank owner can be on the second place after the state depending on the priority of profitability or social problems of the area.

Growth of Austrian pine (Pinus nigra Arnold) treated with soil conditioners on Loket spoil bank

The effects of soil conditioners Frisol, TerraCottem, Bi-algeen, and fertilisers Silvamix Forte and Cererit on the welfare of Austrian pine were observed in a seven-year experiment on Loket spoil bank. Simultaneously the economic aspects of growing the Austrian pine until the stage of established plantation were examined. The application of products one year and a half after planting did not cause seedling mortality. The elongation growth of young plants conditioned by the application of Silvamix Forte and Frisol was statistically significant whereas these effects manifested themselves in the second year: they persisted till the end of the experiment for Silvamix Forte, and for three years in total for Frisol. The other products – TerraCottem, Bi-algeen and Cererit – also showed generally better, though statistically insignificant results as compared to those of the control plants. The elongation growth for all products culminated in the fifth year and then declined. The stem diameter growth for the best products reached its maximum in the second year. Regarding the overall height growth after seven years, the average number of the highest plants on the experiment location was on plots treated with Silvamix Forte; these plants exceeded the control plants by 46.2 cm. Pines treated with Frisol were higher by 23.4 cm. However, the application of soil conditioners and fertilisers to the given location proved economically ineffective because there was no need to improve the soil at the location, the same applies to mowing and hoeing since almost no forest weed grew there and the substrate surface remained well-aerated and porous.