Methods for hydrologic monitoring of surface mining in the central-western United States

The regulations promulgated pursuant to the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act require the monitoring of potentially impacted hydrologic systems before, during, and after mining operations. This report details characteristics and processes that commonly determine the most acceptable approaches to hydrologic monitoring in the arid and semiarid central-western United States. No single approach is best for all hydrologic systems; consideration of basin characteristics, regulatory requirements, and regional patterns in hydrologic systems is necessary in any well-designed monitoring program for hydrologic-impact assessment. This report describes processes and characteristics that control the surface and subsurface hydraulics, as well as the water quality, of typical hydrological systems being mined in the central-western United States. After a discussion of these processes and characteristics, three examples are presented that describe acceptable, but nonexclusive, approaches to hydrologic monitoring network design. (USGS)