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REVEGETATING PROCESSED OIL SHALE AND COAL SPOILS ON SEMI-ARID LANDS
Citation:
Frischknecht, N. AND R. Ferguson. REVEGETATING PROCESSED OIL SHALE AND COAL SPOILS ON SEMI-ARID LANDS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/7-79/068 (NTIS PB294733), 1979.
Description:
Forest Service revegetation studies on TOSCO II processed shale (beginning in 1976) at Sand Wash, eastern Utah, within the salt desert shrub zone and at Davis Gulch, western Colorado, in the upper mountain brush zone, involved the use of amendments on processed shale without leaching salts. At Sand Wash, seven species of the Chenopodiaceae family were far superior to other species on processed shale with or without supplementary water or a covering of soil. Where at least 1 foot (30 cm) of soil covered processed shale, an additional eight species showed good survival. At Davis Gulch, a covering of 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) of topsoil over processed shale greatly increased survival and growth of container-grown plants compared to a 2- to 3-inch (5 to 7.5 cm) covering of broken rock fragments or a cover of barley straw crimped into the processed shale. On a simulated mining tract at the Alton coal field, southern Utah, grass hay rotovated 8 inches (20 cm) deep into the soil increased seedling survival.