Bauxite Mine Reclamation Wetland Inventory
Saline County, Arkansas
Bauxite was first mined in Arkansas as an aluminum ore in 1898, but changing economic market conditions brought an end to mining as a source of aluminum in 1982. During that period, the greatest amounts of bauxite were removed through surface operations although some underground mining was done. In recent years, major reclamation programs have been initiated by Alcoa to restore both recently mined lands and lands disturbed before reclamation laws went into effect. FTN Associates, Ltd. (FTN) has played a major role in reclamation and restoration activities at the approximately 8,000-acre land base with many projects developed to solve problems involving acid mine drainage, additional water quality issues, and establishment of vegetation cover.The Client contracted with FTN in 1996 to conduct an inventory of sites having wetland features. Three primary project goals were:
- Determination of location, extent, and species composition of wetland areas;
- Identification of sites having potential to contribute plant stock for possible future wetlands restoration projects; and
- Evaluation of sites having potential value for wetlands mitigation banking purposes.
A secondary goal for the project was to identify the presence of plant species reported in the literature to be tolerant of strongly acid substrate conditions (i.e., pH 4.5 to 5) in view of the presence of acidic mine drainage at the facility. This inventory project included sites having a potential for Corps of Engineers jurisdiction under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.
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