Abstract: An improved procedure is disclosed for reclaiming land as it is surface mined; more particularly, reclamation of mined-out phosphate-containing land is disclosed where strata comprising a sandy component, a phosphate pebble component and a slime component are excavated, and the sandy component and the slime component are returned after extraction of the phosphate pebble component and dewatering by the dewatering system of the present invention. The volume of returned material is equal to or less than the volume of mined material, and the returned material forms a stable and agronomically sound soil. This result is obtained by accelerating dewatering of the slimes component of a specially treated backfill prior to and after deposition in the mined-out pit.