Evaluating Peat‐Mining Hydrology Using Drainmod

Abstract

A process that uses the field‐scale model DRAINMOD to simulate the hydrologic response of a watershed to peat mining is presented. An eastern North Carolina watershed has been proposed as the site of a peat mining project. Within the watershed are several distinct soils, land uses, and drainage characteristics. Land use, drainage, and even soil characteristics change as peat soil is mined and reclaimed. The hydrologic response of this watershed is determined for each year of the proposed mining project by combining the field hydrology model with a simple reservoir model, a spreadsheet program, and a statistical program. Results show that peat mining alone increases the annual runoff volume and peak outflow rates. However, by mining land in small sections, by reclaiming the land for agricultural and forest uses, and by installing water retention reservoirs, the annual runoff and peak daily flows from the watershed can be reduced to the magnitude of those presently occurring on the unmined site.