IEG has spent almost a decade, and substantial effort, developing quantitative approaches to ecohydrological analysis, reclamation-cover design, and projection of post-closure ecosystems on mining landscapes. The culmination of this work is our Quantitative Ecohydrological Analysis (QEA) tool. It is based on rigorous approaches to modelling climate and the physics of soil water retention, and has been refined through years of study on multiple mine sites in Canada and analysis of over 5,700 TEM plots from the B.C. provincial ecosystem-classification database. It supports design of reclamation covers and prediction of post-reclamation water-balances, moisture regimes and ecosystems, and is intended for use by reclamation professionals, regulators, and representatives of mine-affected communities. A version of it is available for public use at qea.iegsoil.com, with documentation and a user guide at guide.iegsoil.com. The model underlying the online tool is the same as used in our reclamation planning and monitoring programs, and continues to be refined by IEG. We welcome all feedback and suggestions for improvements and additional outputs.
