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VI. Mitigation Measures. <br />• <br />1. Off-channel sediment collection ponds would be constructed, as needed, <br />to filter out sediment during construction, to protect water quality. <br />2. Riparian vegetation removal/disturbance will be replaced with willow <br />clumps and plantings to insure no net lose of vegetation during the <br />restoration project. <br />3. All bare ground resulting from realignment of the channel(s) will be <br />seeded and fertilized following construction of the channel and <br />floodplains. <br />4. Equipment storage and refueling sites will be located away from the <br />construction area to avoid any potential spill contamination. <br />5. There will be on-the-ground technical oversite provided by the Forest <br />Service. <br />6. Rock weirs and revetment will improve fish habitat diversity. <br />7. No in-channel work, subject to erosion, will be left incomplete prior to <br />spring runoff. <br />8. Use of equipment in live streams will be minimized to the extent <br />practical. <br />9. Either the San Miguel above the confluence or the South Fork will be <br />completed prior to work beginning on the other reaches. Both of these <br />channels will be rehabilitated prior to work beginning on the channel below <br />the confluence. <br />VII. Honitorine <br />Monitoring of the restored channel(s) will be an on-going function of the <br />Forest and District staffs to insure success of the proposed project. <br />Follow-up maintenance work or design modifications will be conducted as <br />needed to protect the investment. Photo plots used for monitoring have <br />already been established and will continue to be updated. <br />VIII. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences <br />The proposed project is located at the confluence of the San Miguel River and <br />its largest tributary in the upper basin, the South Fork of the San Miguel. <br />Both basins are similar in characteristic above the confluence. The elevation <br />at the confluence is 8040 feet. The headwaters of both basins is upwards of <br />14,000 feet and consist of very steep and rugged topography. The drainage area <br />of the San Miguel is approximately 48 square miles and for the South Fork 54 <br />square miles. The average drop in feet/mile for the San Miguel is 520 and for <br />the South Fork is 390. The town of Telluride and Telluride ski area are <br />located in the San Miguel basin above the confluence. Trout Lake is a 2500 <br />acre-foot impoundment located in the upper 1/3 of the South Fork watershed. <br />6 <br />