Coal Mining and Ground-Water Resources in the United States

摘要

The report notes the widespread concern in this country over possible consequences for our water resources of the relatively recent emphasis on development of fossil fuels and the reclamation and use of land that will follow it. The response to the public concern as reflected in legislation and policy has focused on two issues. One is that water resources are not everywhere or always present in sufficient quantity or quality to satisfy the needs of the energy industry. The other is that, as a result of energy industry and land reclamation activity, the quality of the water that is available may be significantly degraded. The report presents coal mining as one of many uses competing for the nation's ground-water resources and addresses principles that govern the functioning of hydrogeologic systems and the various institutions that oversee ground-water allocation.