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Final Report on Wetland Mitigation Efforts: <br />Coal Creek Mining Areas and Adjacent Riparian Habitats <br />DA Permit Number 198811488 <br />Arapahoe County, Colorado <br />Background <br />Since 1988, wetland mitigation efforts have been proceeding at a site along Coal Creek <br />south of East Quincy Avenue in Arapahoe County, Colorado. The large area undergoing this <br />mitigation effort is included in portions of sections 11, 13, 14, 24, 25, and 36, T5S and R65W of <br />the 6t° prime meridian. The actual locations for the mitigation work focused on two small <br />areas that were specifically designated as wetland mitigation sites. These two areas total <br />about 10 acres, with roughly 5 acres in each site. Obviously, with a project location covering so <br />many sections the total project involved considerably more than just these 10 acres. The <br />project included work to mitigate negative effects resulting from streambed mining along a few <br />miles of the Coal Creek channel. <br />The permit was extended in 1996 and is due to expire on April 30, 2004. The mitigation <br />efforts are expected to be completed by that April date. During an annual inspection by the <br />U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the summer of 2002, some discussions focused on whether it <br />appeared that the mitigation work had been completed. It was decided that a detailed <br />examination of the entire affected area be done to determine whether the requirements had <br />been completed and to describe the nature of the wetland systems that have been created as <br />well as established by natural recovery. At that time it appeared there was a strong <br />convergence of created and natural wetland units with respect to their overall appearances. <br />What was needed was a more detailed analysis to determine whether that apparent similarity <br />was real or illusory. <br />Starting in late July of 2002 a study of the wetland systems along about 6 miles of the <br />Coal Creek corridor, which included this project, was conducted. The entire corridor was <br />photographed and areas of established and re-established wetlands mapped and identified. <br />The wetland units were also examined with respect to species composition, cover values, and <br />function. A rough classification of the wetlands was also done to enable a distinction between <br />the different types of wetlands in this area. Wetlands protected from grazing were compared to <br />wetlands that were not protected to describe the influence of grazing. And finally, with the <br />major drought that occurred in this area during 2002, an examination of the drought effects <br />was made. This latter factor is particularly important with respect to the long term <br />Coal Creek Wetlands and Wetland Mitigation DA Permit 198811488 August 2003 Page 1 of 23 <br />