Lindberg, T. Ty, et al. “Cumulative Impacts of Mountaintop Mining on an Appalachian Watershed.” PNAS, National Academy of Sciences, 27 Dec. 2011, http://www.pnas.org/content/108/52/20929.full"

Question

Accepted Answer

This source contained great visuals of their research including maps and graphs.
            Lindberg discusses the effects of mountaintop removal mining on headwaters in the Appalachian region. They do so through analyzing the effects of dumping waste rock on headwater streams, leading to increased levels of salinity and trace metals downstream. Discusses some of the impacts that the different changes in water quality can have on the aquatic life (such as the selenium toxicity effect on diff. species of fish). 
Quotes:
1. Conductivity measurements throughout the surface mining impacted section of the Upper Mud River always exceeded 300 μS cm-1 (Fig. 2 A and B), a level recently deemed harmful to aquatic life in the central Appalachians by the EPA (17). Upstream of mining, conductivity measurements did not vary much seasonally or spatially, averaging 156.1 ± 11.6 μS cm-1 (± standard error), a range consistent with values reported by the WV Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) for state reference sites within the Upper Guyandotte watershed (Fig. 2C) (10)
   1. From results and discussion section
2. Fig 4. Shows deformities in 2 species of fish

Sources

Fish Biodiversity