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Monitoring points were established for the purpose of tracking the long term success of the <br />Project. Measurement of the Project success will be accomplished not only in terms of <br />establishing vegetative cover, but also in terms of erosion control and sediment retention. <br />In order to ascertain relative Project success from varying perspectives, four different <br />monitoring methodologies were employed. These include permanent photo points, <br />permanent gully monitoring points on the outslopes, sediment staff gauges at the sediment <br />barriers and a stream monitoring network, which includes automated sediment sampling <br />devices. Monitoring will occur for the next three years. A thorough discussion of the <br />monitoring program may be found in our first biannual report to the Water Quality Control <br />Division, dated January. 12, 2000. <br />In order to disperse information relative to the outslope revegetation efforts, a paper will be <br />delivered in the spring of 2000 at the Billings Reclamation Symposium. The paper details <br />the revegetation and sediment control methodologies undertaken in 1999. <br />The Division is in the process of forming a partnership with the Roaring Fork Conservancy, <br />a local community interest group. The purpose of the partnership is to establish a role for <br />community involvement in water quality monitoring within Coal Basin. A monitoring <br />station will be established in the early summer of 2000 on Coal Creek below the Coal <br />Basin Mine. This site will be maintained by community volunteers. The data collected <br />from this site will be used in conjunction with the data collected by the Division higher in <br />the Basin as part of the 319 Project. <br />Approximately 24 acres of mine bench outslopes were revegetated during the summer of <br />1999, for a cost of $ 100,949. Of this amount, approximately $ 50,505 was provided by the <br />non-point source grant, and the remainder was funded by the bond. <br />Road Slopes <br />In addition to the mine bench outslopes, the cut and fill slopes adjacent to Roads D, E, F, <br />G were revegetated. The road cut and fill slopes in need of revegetation were, more often <br />than not, fairly discontinuous. Cut and fill slopes not selected for revegetation either <br />exhibited adequate vegetation, were essentially rock outcrops or consisted of talus-like <br />material which is too loose and mobile to consider as a potential candidate for successful <br />revegetation. The areas revegetated were delineated in the field, and measured prior to <br />construction. The revegetation techniques employed were identical to those used at the <br />mine bench outslopes, except that Biosol was not used, and all materials were applied by <br />hand. Approximately 6.2 acres of road cut and fill slopes were revegetated for a cost of <br />$ 12,770. This portion of the Project was funded by the bond. <br />2000 PROJECTS <br />Plans to complete three large Projects are currently being developed. The South Basin <br />Road Reclamation Project will accomplish reclamation of Roads B, C, D and <br />revegetation of the cut and fill slopes of Roads A, B and C. The Coal Basin Pond <br />Reclamation Project will accomplish reclamation of about twenty eight ponds by <br />replacing the corrugated metal pipe spillways at each pond with a rock lined spillways, <br />12