Projects > Hydrologic Suitability of Mine Spoil as a Medium for Septic-Tank Absorption Fields, Warrick County, Indiana
POST-MINING LAND-USE MAP
A map showing postmining land uses (PMLU) in Warrick County was compiled. This map is available in digital form (as a shapefile named "pmlu.shp") that can be viewed in conjunction with other map layers as part of a geographic information system (GIS). This section describes the way in which the PMLU map was compiled. Additional information is available in Harper et al. (2000).
| Soil Replacement Categories |
| Sources of Information |
| Map Citations |
Soil-Replacement Categories
| Post-Mining Land-Use Map of Warrick County, Indiana |
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The displaced overburden from surface-mining of coal is referred to as spoil. The engineering and hydrologic properties of spoil may depend upon many factors, including the physical and chemical properties of the preexisting soil and bedrock and the methods that were
employed during mining and reclamation.
Harper (1985) discusses the history of surface mining and reclamation in Indiana in some detail. Prior to passage of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) in 1977, reclamation of surface mines may have involved grading of spoil ridges but typically did not
involve replacement of any soil on top of the spoil. After passage of the Act, coal operators were
required to incorporate soil replacement into their reclamation activities for all reclamation that
occurred after May 3, 1978. In areas where prime farmland existed prior to mining, operators
were required by the Act to make provisions for stockpiling soil from such areas and restoring it
to an equivalent (though not necessarily the same) area during reclamation. A discussion of prime
and nonprime farmland, soil replacement requirements, and exemptions from standards is presented
in a publication by the Indiana Soils/Prime Farmland Team (1998).
The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) conducted a preliminary investigation
of mine spoils and suggested special evaluation criteria for such materials (Dunn, 1994). Among those criteria was recognition of four
distinct landforms produced by different reclamation methods: (1) pre-1967 reclamation; (2) 1967
to 1977 reclamation; (3) post-1977 prime farmland reclamation; and (4) post-1977 nonprime
farmland reclamation. Broad qualitative guidelines were offered regarding the suitability for
on-site sewage disposal within these different landforms.
To assist local health departments in evaluating the suitability of sites on mine spoil for on-site sewage disposal, the ISDH requested that the Indiana Geological Survey (IGS) conduct preliminary mapping of such materials. Detailed characterization and mapping of mine spoil on the basis of all potentially relevant physical, chemical, and engineering factors would be prohibitively
costly and time-consuming. Thus, for the purposes of this project, four categories of soil replacement have been recognized: Categories 1A and 1B: no soil replacement, where the spoil has
been left ungraded or has been graded, respectively; Category 2: where spoil has been graded and
subsequently covered with less than 30 inches of soil replacement; and Category 3: where spoil
has been graded and subsequently covered with greater than 30 inches of soil replacement
("prime farmland"). These categories are generally related to the landforms discussed above, as
follows: Categories 1A and 1B correspond to Landforms 1 and 2, Category 2 corresponds to
Landform 4, and Category 3 corresponds to Landform 3.
Sources of Information
The areas shown on the postmining land-use map may represent either (1) actual mined areas, (2) affected areas, or (3) permit areas. "Actual mined areas" includes only those areas from which coal was removed. "Affected areas" includes actual mined areas plus any peripheral or associated areas that were
impacted by mining activities, such as roads, preparation facilities, boxcut spoil ridges, and so
forth. "Permit areas" include the entire area in which mining activities were permitted to occur,
including areas that may ultimately have remained unaffected by mining.
Actual mined areas where mining occurred prior to 1982 were obtained as digital coverages from Licia Weber and Paul Irwin (Indiana Coal Mine Database, IGS). These coverages were
compiled from affected area maps of the Indiana Division of Reclamation (IDOR) (source scale
is typically 1:4,800), aerial photographs of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) (source
scale = 1:20,000 and 1:40,000), original maps from coal-mining companies (typically 1:4,800),
previous studies of the IGS (various scales, but predominantly 1:24,000), and county soil-survey
maps (source scale = 1:15,840). Information about dates of mining was derived from map
legends, reports of the Indiana State Mine Inspector, dates of aerial photography, the Preliminary
Coal Map series of the IGS, and coal-mine datasets of IGS. The databases associated with these
coverages were used to differentiate areas where mining ceased during or prior to 1977, and
those where mining ceased at some time between 1978 and 1982. For the former, it was assumed
that no soil was replaced during reclamation, so that those areas are comprised solely of
Categories 1A or 1B; for the latter, it was assumed that reclamation involved either
Categories 1A, 1B, or 2, but that there was no Category 3. Also, Kevin Geier and Robert
Jones (IDOR) assisted with differentiation of Categories 1A, 1B, and 2 for some of the mines
that operated between 1977 and 1982.
For areas mined since 1982, the situation is more complex, and there is no single source of
digital maps showing permitted areas, affected areas, and mined areas, or proposed or actual
postmining land use. Prior to mining, mine operators must submit applications for permits to
mine to the Indiana Division of Reclamation. As part of their permit applications, they must
provide maps showing where prime farmland exists and the areas that will be affected by mining.
Once a permit to mine has been granted, the mine operator may periodically submit applications
for variances in the proposed mining plan. Upon completion of reclamation, the operators must
submit maps showing final "soil replacement" or "postmining land use." For mining operations
that are still ongoing, maps associated with the original permit application and for interim
variances can be used to determine the likely disposition of soil replacement categories. For
mining operations that have finished, the final postmining land-use map can be used to determine
the actual distribution of soil-replacement categories.
The various coal companies may (or may not) possess maps in digital form, but such information is submitted only in paper form to IDOR, which is the central repository of such information.
Consequently, efforts were made to obtain digital maps from coal companies. Such maps were
obtained from Amax Coal Company, with the assistance of David Ralston (Soil Tech, Inc.,
formerly of Amax Coal Company), and from United Minerals, Inc., with the assistance of Robert
Dyer, Jr. (United Minerals, Inc.) and Penny Padgett (Black Beauty Coal Company, formerly of IGS).
In addition to digital data obtained from coal companies, permit boundaries for selected areas
were obtained in digital form from Nathan Eaton (IGS); for some of these areas, soil replacement
categories were identified with the assistance of Kevin Geier (IDOR).
For areas from which digital data were not available, copies of paper maps were obtained
from the IDOR; features such as the "May 3rd Line" (certain requirements of SMCRA came into
effect on May 3, 1978) and "prime farmland" were identified with the assistance of Steve Wade,
Kevin Geier, Brock Mayes, and Keith Swihart (IDOR). The paper maps were then converted into
digital form at the IGS by Chris Dintaman, Mikhail Zidek, and Denver Harper.
Peter Schoephoester, Indiana University, inspected aerial photographs in an attempt to identify
and map boundaries between areas of graded and ungraded spoil without soil cap. This series
of photographs was taken in 1980. Schoephoester’s boundaries were reviewed by personnel of
IDOR. Those photographs have been registered to the TIGER road files of the U.S. Census
Bureau (source scale = 1:100,000). Because of distortions in the photographs and because of the
large source scale of the TIGER files, displacements of features (such as road intersections) may
appear when the photographs are viewed in conjunction with the TIGER roads or with digital
raster graphics files of 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle maps. Such displacements are typically
(but not always) less than 50 m.
As a final step, all areas for which maps existed were overlaid on 7.5-minute topographic
quadrangle maps of the U.S. Geological Survey. The photorevisions of these maps (typically
shown as a purple stipple pattern and based on aerial photographs taken in the late 1970s or
1980s) indicated that in some areas mining had extended beyond the areas covered by all
the maps that had been collected to date. Consultation with personnel of IDOR indicated that
some of the photorevisions represent mined areas, whereas others appear to be errors that do not
represent any mining activity. Because field checking of these areas was beyond the scope of this
project, these areas were designated as "indeterminate."
In addition to surface mining, there has been considerable underground mining of coal in
Warrick County. Where such mines are very shallow, they have sometimes been used in the
past for residential septic disposal. For this reason, undermined areas are also shown on the
accompanying map. These were obtained from preexisting digital files of the IGS, compiled by
Licia Weber and Paul Irwin. The source scale of these coverages is 1:24,000.
In the files of the IGS, maps exist showing the locations of selected mine-subsidence areas
in the vicinity of Boonville. Such features have important effects on shallow hydrology in
localized areas. These maps have not yet been digitized.
In addition to the effects of surface and underground mining, the hydrology of Warrick
County has been affected by the presence of coal-preparation refuse (“gob” and “slurry”).
Deposits of such refuse are an important source of acidic mine drainage (AMD). The locations
of some of these deposits were mapped by Weismiller and Mroczynski (1978). These maps
are old, and it should be noted that significant deposits of refuse that were created since 1977
are not shown. The source scale of these maps is about 1:48,000.
Water-well logs and gamma-ray logs are important sources of geologic information. A map
showing the distribution of water wells in Warrick County and surrounding areas is provided.
This was obtained from Indiana Division of Water (IDOW) through the Indiana Department
of Environmental Management (IDEM). At this time, only locations are shown, because none
of the associated database information was provided, nor do we have any other metadata
(such as source scale) for this coverage. The locations of gamma-ray logs were obtained from an
existing digital coverage at the IGS. From this coverage, identification numbers can be obtained.
The source scale of the gamma-ray log coverage is 1:24,000.
Map Citations
As described in the preceding section, maps for this project were collected from a variety of sources. Some
were in digital form,
whereas others were on paper. The digital maps may (or may not) have had accompanying documentation (metadata).
The paper maps were typically photocopies or blueline copies of unpublished large-format originals, all of which are now
on file at the IGS. Only portions of the original map may
have been copied by IDOR or elsewhere, so that parts of the legend or other explanatory information may be
missing. Consequently, it was not possible to compile complete and standardized citation information for all
the maps listed below.
The digital and paper source maps that were collected have been assigned arbitrary designations within the
files of the Indiana Geological Survey. These arbitrarily assigned designations (as well as the individuals
from whom the maps were obtained) are listed below. (NOTE: In an associated ArcInfo shapefile (named "sources.shp")
these designations appear in the field named "desig.")
| Map Showing Sources of Information |
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Designations applied to unpublished maps from various sources:
AFCTAREA (Source: L. Weber and P. Irwin)
Boundaries for areas disturbed by mining but not known to have coal removal. Many of these
areas are cast overburden. Areas were generally mapped from aerial photographs (various
dates).
ALL_77 (Source: L. Weber and P. Irwin)
Coal-removal areas for mines that ended operations before 1977. Areas were commonly
mapped from aerial photographs (various dates).
ALL77_82 (Source: L. Weber and P. Irwin)
Affected areas for mines that ended operations between 1977 and 1982. Coal removal occurred
throughout much of each of these areas. Areas were mapped from affected-area maps on file at
the IDOR.
AFCT_NEW (Source: N. Eaton)
No mine map of postmining land use was available or was consulted. Outline was obtained
from N. Eaton (IGS). Soil replacement categories were assigned on basis of oral communications with personnel of IDOR.
BOON_N (Source: S. Wade et al.)
Warrick County Coal Corp.; May 13, 1987; Boonville North; Map #3 Soils; Source Scale:
1"=400'
DEERRIDG (Source: R. Dyer)
Black Beauty Coal Co.; March 20, 1998; Permit Nos. S-247 and S-247-1; Deer Ridge Mine
(Old Deer Ridge Mine); General Information (Permit Boundary); Map Scale: 1"=400'
ELBERFEL (Source: N. Eaton)
No mine map of postmining land use was available or was consulted. Outline was obtained from
N. Eaton (IGS); soil replacement categories were assigned on basis of oral communications with
personnel of IDOR.
FLATROCK (Source: R. Dyer)
United Minerals, Inc.; June 25, 1997; Permit No. (not given); Flat Rock Mine; Post-Mining
Contours & Land Uses, Permit Line, Permit Line (IBR Area No. 1), Permit Line (IBR Area
No. 2); Map Scale: 1"=400'
LYN62598 (Source: S. Wade et al.)
Peabody Coal Company; June 25, 1998; Lynnville Mine; Topsoil Relocation Plan Map; Permit
Nos. S00221, S00319, S00330; Source Scale: 1"=1000'
LYN73098 (Source: S. Wade et al.)
Peabody Coal Company; Aug. 26, 1998; Lynnville Mine; Prime Farmland Relocation Plan;
Permit Nos. S00221, S00319, S00330; Source Scale: 1"=400'
LYN_AER (Source: S. Wade et al.)
Peabody Coal Company; no date; Lynnville Mine; Aerial photo prepared by Aerial Surveys,
Inc., Louisville, KY; Sheet 2 of 2; Source Scale: 1"=1000'
MINE5900 (Source: S. Wade et al.)
Mine5900; bond composite map (an IDOR working map)
NO_MAP, NO_MAP2 (Source: S. Wade et al.)
No mine map of postmining land use was available or was consulted. Outline was obtained from
7.5-minute topographic quadrangle maps; soil replacement categories were assigned on basis of
oral communications with personnel of IDOR.
PHOTO1981 (Source: quadrangle map photorevision)
Areas shown as dark purple stippling on photorevisions of USGS 7.5-minute topographic
quadrangle maps. Photorevisions are based on aerial photographs taken at various dates in the
late 1970s and 1980s. Revisions were not field checked. Areas were digitized from topographic maps. These areas may (or may not) represent areas affected by mining.
RALSTON (Source: D. Ralston)
AMAX Coal Company; March, 1998; Permit No. S-4; Ayrshire Mine, Millersburg Field;
Drawing No. AS 9810-12-2/2, File No. EAS19; Note: This map includes all revisions to
Permit #S-4 except Amendment 12; Map Scale: 1"=1000'
S006 (Source: S. Wade et al.)
J&J Coal; Permit No. S-006; Scales Pit; Soils Map and Post-Mining Land Use Map
S008S020 (Source: S. Wade et al.)
Permit Nos. S-008 and S-020; bond composite map (an IDOR working map)
S009 (Source: S. Wade et al.)
Squaw Creek Coal Company; March 4, 1993; Permit No. S-00009; Southfield; Proposed
Post-Mining Landuse Map; Map Scale: 1"=400'
S021 (Source: S. Wade et al.)
Peabody Coal Company; July 15, 1997 (Revision No. 9); Permit No. S-00021-5; Lynnville Mine
(1150 No. 1 Area); Post-Mine Land Use Map; Map Scale: 1"=400'
S022 (Source: S. Wade et al.)
Peabody Coal Company; Sept. 15, 1982; Lynnville Mine; 1150 #2 Area, Soils Map, Alternative
Topsoil Materials; Source Scale: 1"=400'
S023_N, S023_S (Source: S. Wade et al.)
Permit No. S-023 (north and south); bond composite map (an IDOR working map)
S089 (Source: N. Eaton)
No mine map of postmining land use was available or was consulted. Outline was obtained
from N. Eaton (IGS); soil replacement categories were assigned on basis of oral communications with personnel of IDOR.
S128 (Source: N. Eaton)
J&J Coal; Shoulders Permit. No mine map of postmining land use was available or was
consulted. Outline was obtained from N. Eaton (IGS); soil replacement categories were assigned
on basis of oral communications with personnel of IDOR.
S192 (Source: N. Eaton)
J&J Coal; Boyd Pit. No mine map of postmining land use was available or was consulted.
Outline was obtained from N. Eaton (IGS); soil replacement categories were assigned on basis
of oral communications with personnel of IDOR.
S202 (Source: N. Eaton)
No mine map of postmining land use was available or was consulted. Outline was obtained from
N. Eaton (IGS); soil replacement categories were assigned on basis of oral communications with
personnel of IDOR.
S216 (Source: N. Eaton)
No mine map of postmining land use was available or was consulted. Outline was obtained
from N. Eaton (IGS); soil replacement categories were assigned on basis of oral communications with personnel of IDOR.
S221 (Source: N. Eaton)
No mine map of postmining land use was available or was consulted. Outline was obtained
from N. Eaton (IGS); soil replacement categories were assigned on basis of oral communications with personnel of IDOR.
S274 (Source: S. Wade et al.)
Peabody Coal Company; March 27, 1996; Permit No. S-00274; Lynnville Mine (South Millersburg I Area); Post-Mine Land Use Map, Prime Farmland; Source Scale: 1"=400'; (Note: The permit boundary was taken from Nathan Easton).
S280 (Source: S. Wade et al.)
Foertsch Construction Company, Inc.; Permit S-00280; Skelton Mine; Soils Map; Source
Scale: 1"=400'
S314 (Source: N. Eaton)
No mine map of postmining land use was available or was consulted. Outline was obtained
from N. Eaton (IGS); soil replacement categories were assigned on basis of oral communications
with personnel of IDOR.
S318 (Source: S. Wade et al.)
Vigo Coal Company, Inc.; July 4, 1995; Permit No. S-318, Cypress Creek Mine; Map 7 Post
Mine Land Use; Map Scale: 1"=400'
S319 (Source: S. Wade et al.)
Peabody Coal Company; August 3, 1995; Permit No. S-319; Lynnville Mine (Graham Hill);
Post Mining Land Use Map, Permit Boundary and Prime Farmland (Boundary); Map Scale:
1"=400'
S325 (Source: R. Dyer)
Black Beauty Coal Co.; May 31, 1996; Permit No. S-325; West Fisher Mine; Post Mine Land
Uses & Contours, Map 3, Permit Line; Map Scale: 1"=400'
S330 (Source: S. Wade et al.)
Peabody Coal Company; May 19, 1997; Permit No. S-00330; Lynnville Mine (Eby Area);
Post Mining Land Use Map Property Map, Sheets 1 and 2, Surface Permit Line and Post-Mining
Land Uses (Prime Crop); Map Scale: 1"=400'
VIGO_6 (Source: S. Wade et al.)
Permit No. S048; Vigo No. 6 Mine; Soils Map and Post-Mining Land Use Map
WRIGHT (Source: S. Wade et al.)
AMAX Coal Company; Feb. 5, 1985; Wright Mine; Newburgh Field, Bond Status Photo;
Source Scale: 1"=500'
ZIMMER (Source: R. Dyer)
Black Beauty Coal Co.; March 17, 1998; Permit No. S-00295; Zimmer Mine; Undermining
Release Map, General Information (Affected Area Boundary/Bond Line) and Soils Information
(Prime Soils); Map Scale: 1"=400'
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