This ash pond is observed to provide a variety of vegetation and wildlife throughout the year in an area with sparse rainfall. Ash disposal areas are used as wetland habitat by wildlife during the life of a power project, when water resources are not available in a seasonally arid climate. Picardi has helped develop groundwater contamination surveys and cost effective reclamation planning for these areas. The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has investigated a large number of alternative uses of ash -- as for instance in building bricks and as land fill -- and rehabilitation over the long run of ash ponds, through social forestry and other forms of cultivation, including the health aspects of each potential solution.