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West Elk Mine <br />conditions, the azea is retreated or the topsoil replaced as conditions dictate. To prevent bare <br />azeas from being overrun by noxious weeds, attempts aze made to control noxious weeds during <br />reclamation by mowing or other appropriate methods approved by the Division. <br />Riaarian Areas <br />Some facilities have been constructed in riparian vegetation and other areas within the 100-foot <br />riparian/stream buffer zone of the North Fork of the Gunnison River and are identified in Figure 18 <br />as azeas of buffer zone variance. They include the water intake gallery, sediment ponds and <br />associated spillways and ditches, a railroad siding, the railroad loadout facility, alight-use road and <br />a portion of the old Bear No. 1 and 2 Mines site. Within Section 9 of T13S, R90W, the 100-foot <br />wide riparian stream buffer zone on each side of the river encompasses 11.9 acres along the north <br />and south banks of the North Fork of the Gunnison River. Of this total acreage only 1.2 acres aze <br />covered by riparian vegetation, The remainder is rock debris and an industrial azea. A total of 0.4 <br />acres of the variance area was covered by riparian vegetation. <br />Sylvester Gulch is a stream with a biological community as defined by Rule 4.05.18(3). The <br />realigned main hau]/access road will be constructed within 100 feet of Sylvester Gulch, and a <br />variance to the stream buffer zone as defined by Rule 4.05.17 is appropriate because the original <br />stream channel will not be disturbed, water quality and quantity will not be adversely affected due <br />to slope stabilization methods (BMPs, revegetation, and MSE walls), and the reclamation plan <br />provides for the reestablishment ofappropriate riparian vegetation. <br />Mountain Coal Company will reclaim the 1.3 acres of disturbance within the North Fork of the <br />Gunnison River riparian/stream buffer zone and the disturbance within the Sylvester Gulch <br />riparian/stream buffer zone. The reclamation methods described in the Roads Section will be used <br />to revegetate disturbances within the riparian buffer zone. In addition, all disturbances outside the <br />present riparian vegetation community will be reclaimed as shrub clusters, where site conditions <br />permit. If site conditions preclude shrub cluster vegetation, the CDMG will be consulted to develop <br />a mutually agreeable reclamation alternative. Also, the species used in the riparian vegetation <br />community revegetation effort are noted below and are based on a survey of species present within <br />the riparian vegetation communities (Table 40). <br />Grass and Forb Pounds/Acre PLS <br />Western Wheatgrass 4 <br />Kentucky Bluegrass 0.5 <br />Slender Wheatgrass Z <br />Streambank Wheatgrass 3 <br />Alsike Clover 0.5 <br />Cicer Milkvetch 1 <br />11 <br /> <br />2.05-64 Revised Nov. 1996 PR07; Rev. Jan. 1997 TR79; Rev. Sept. 1997 MR 217; Rev. Apri! 2006 PR/0 <br />