Role of GIS in Assessment of Environmental Impacts of Coal Remining Sites in Ohio

The objective of this study is to examine the role of a Geographic Information System (GIS), specifically ArcGIS, in investigating the environmental impacts of remining at a watershed level in Ohio. Since the passage of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) some remining has occurred in Ohio. Remining is the mining of surface mine lands and coal refuse piles that were abandoned prior to the enactment of SMCRA in 1977. It is a challenge to determine the environmental impacts of this remining. In this study, I have explored in detail how ArcGIS can be used as a tool for studying these impacts. In my study I have used a GIS-based methodology and have found various advantages that ArcGIS offers to augment the research efforts. The four main abilities/tools that I have found ArcGIS to offer are: spatial georeferencing, digitizing, centralization of data, and visual interpretation of data. A streamlined method has been presented to calculate the area of mine land that has been remined in a watershed. My study used the Duck Creek Watershed in south east Ohio as a case study.No embarg