MORPHOMETRY, HYDROLOGY, AND SOME ASSOCIATED WATER QUALITY FLUCTUATIONS IN A SURFACE MINE WETLAND COMPLEX IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS.

Wetland areas provide a unique reclamation alternative for surface mining, but as of now, such sites are few and far between and little information exists on basic internal functions. Therefore, five surface mine ponds were examined in 1985 to determine interactions between pond morphometry, hydrology, and some water quality parameters. Research was conducted on Consolidation Coal Companies' Burning Star No. 2 (BS2) mine, near Pinckneyville, Illinois. The BS2 site encompassed 5 small ponds ranging in size from . 35 ha to 1. 5 ha. Pond size and volume varied throughout the year (May-November) and extent of variation depended upon the pond. Pond 2 retained much of its volume while Ponds 1 and 4 underwent substantial volume decrease. Pond 3 lost the most volume altogether but was still less than Pond 4 when expressed as a percentage. Pond 5 was more ephemeral than the others and lost 97 percent of volume by June. Fluctuating water regimes had a significant effect on all morphometric parameters. More importantly, varying hydrology resulted in increased littoral and mudflat areas important for plant growth. Water quality parameters included surface temperature, pH, salinity, and conductivity.