The performance of a prototype reclamation cover constructed over saline-sodic shale overburden was tracked over a six-year period. The test cover, constructed on a 5H:1V slope, was comprised of a thin layer (approximately 20 cm) of a peat-mineral soil mixture overlying a thicker layer (approximately 80 cm) of `secondary' (glacial lacustrine or till). The primary objective of the cover design was to provide sufficient moisture storage for vegetation while mitigating the upward diffusion of salts from the underlying pyritic shale. In situ measurements of saturated hydraulic conductivity were conducted using a Guelph permeameter. Hydrologic measurements included soil moisture, matric suction, soil temperature, surface runoff, and interflow. The major ion chemistry of both surface runoff and interflow waters were measured. In situ measurements of hydraulic conductivity over the six-year period demonstrated that the cover developed secondary structure within four years of placement, likely due to repeated freeze/thaw and wet/dry cycles. The hydrologic response data and interflow chemistry suggests that the mechanisms responsible for the rapid delivery of precipitation to the base of the cover during spring melt are controlled by interactions between soil conditions and climate. Preferential flow occurs when a threshold wetting is achieved and when the ground is either frozen or the matric suctions are low. It also appears that the relative contribution of `event' and `pre-event' water evolves as interflow proceeds. Lateral interflow appears to be an important mechanism for mitigating the upward diffusion of salts into the cover.