Switchgrass for abandoned mine lands reclamation: A SWAT-based hydrological and water quality assessment

Arshad Ansari, Amit Prasad Timilsina, Ajay Shah, Ashish Manandhar and Sami Khanal

Agricultural Water Management, 2025, vol. 318, issue C

Abstract: Prior to the enactment of Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) in 1977, many coal mining operations were abandoned without proper reclamation, leaving approximately 500,000 abandoned mine lands (AMLs) across the U.S. These sites pose serious environmental and health risks, especially for millions of Americans living nearby, making reclamation urgent. Traditional reclamation practices, which often involve planting cool-season forage grasses, may not fully optimize land’s potential. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), a promising bioenergy crop, offers a sustainable alternative with the added advantage of biomass production for energy generation, even in nutrient-poor soils like AMLs. Despite its demonstrated benefits for soil health, biomass production, and water quality, research specifically examining its benefits in the unique and challenging contexts of AMLs remains limited. This study assessed the hydrological and water quality impacts of switchgrass cultivation, along with its biomass yield potential, on AMLs and other low-productivity lands within the Muskingum River Basin (MRB), Ohio, using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The model was calibrated and validated for streamflow (Q), total suspended solids (TSS), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and crop yields (corn, soybean), demonstrating reasonable performance. Results showed that converting 10 % of the watershed to switchgrass reduced Q by 3.1 %, TSS by 18.1 %, TN by 7.6 %, and TP by 6.2 %, thereby improving water quality. Switchgrass yields ranged from 8.62 to 9.16 metric tons per hectare, highlighting its bioenergy potential. These findings support switchgrass as a potential AMLs reclamation strategy, promoting sustainable water management, ecosystem restoration, and climate-resilient bioenergy solutions.

Keywords: Abandoned mine land; Hydrology; Muskingum river basin (MRB); SWAT model; Switchgrass; Water quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:318:y:2025:i:c:s0378377425004445

DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2025.109730

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