Evaluation of soil reclamation techniques at the Key Lake uranium mine

Olatuyi, S. O. and Leskiw, L. A. 2015. Evaluation of soil reclamation techniques at the Key Lake uranium mine. Can. J. Soil Sci. 95: 153–176. Adequate soil nutrients and water supply are critical to vegetation establishment and creation of sustainable ecosystems in post-disturbed mining sites. This study investigated effects of various amendments and capping techniques on soil quality and moisture distribution on a reclaimed waste rock pile at the Key Lake uranium mine in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. Soil profiles were reconstructed in 2010 using locally available sandy glacial materials to create soil covers of 1 m thickness. The reclamation treatments consisted of a Control plot, commercial peat (Peat), a local lake sediment (Sediment), underlying flax straw (Straw), mulched forest floor and Ae (LFH), fertilizer (NPK), manure pellets (Pellets), and a demonstration plot (Demo) comprised of Sediment, LFH and Pellets. Soil amendments were applied by various techniques as broadcast, surface incorporation,...