Abstract
Comparisons of stream water chemistry over a 2 yr period in East Fork, which drains an entirely forested watershed, and Big Run, which drains a forested watershed 8 % of which is occupied by Big Run Bog, indicated that Big Run Bog had no effect on stream water H+ or Cl− concentrations, but with increasing stream discharge the wetland was a source of Ca++ Mg++, K+, Na+, NO3 −, and SO4 −, and a sink for Fe+ +. Further comparisons with Tub Run, which drains a forested watershed, 13 and 12% of which is occupied by Tub Run Bog and an abandoned, unreclaimed coal surface mine, respectively, suggested that Tub Run Bog removes H+, Ca ++, Mg++, Fe++, and 504 − from inputs of acid mine drainage. Wetland areas on the landscape contribute to the regulation of stream water chemistry in ways that are different from upland areas, and wetlands may have considerable applied potential for minimizing the impact of the mine drainage on stream water quality.
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Kelman Wieder, R., Lang, G.E. Influence of wetlands and coal mining on stream water chemistry. Water Air Soil Pollut 23, 381–396 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00284734
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00284734