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exiting the woven mat, the flow passes through a small willow stand before reaching <br />Coal Creek. <br />The upper most 001 pond was filled with earthen materials during reclamation of the Old <br />Refuse Pile after the contributing flow was diverted. In order to accomplish the filling of <br />the pond, the water within this pond and the water within the second pond was pumped <br />into the remaining two ponds. The inlet to the discharge structure at the fourth, or lowest, <br />pond was wrapped with silt fence material in order to trap sediment which could have <br />been generated as a result of pumping the upper ponds. Visual observation of the <br />discharge indicated that this technique was successful in controlling sediment: <br />contribution to Coal Creek. A Discharge Monitoring Report submitted to Water Quality <br />Control by the NPDES permittee reported a total suspended solids concentration of 6 <br />milligrams per liter during the period of time when dewatering would have been <br />occurring. This is well below the NPDES limitation of 70 milligrams per liter established <br />for this pond system. The 001 pond system did not discharge again after the dewatering <br />operation was completed. Final reclamation of the 001 pond series is scheduled for 2000. <br />Other general reclamation activities completed in 1999 included sampling of the weed <br />control reference areas by Division and OSM staff. These areas were sampled to help <br />determine the progress of the noxious weed control program which the Division is <br />undertaking at Coal Basin. The sampling showed that continued treatment is necessary. <br />A noxious weed control bid was awarded and treatment was accomplished in July, 1999. <br />Follow-up treatments are anticipated in 2000. <br />Rill and gully repair was accomplished at the Sutey Pile in the fall of 1999. Drainage <br />ditches were enhanced, and gullies were graded and revegetated. These areas will be <br />monitored in 2000 to determine the success `of this effort. <br />BEAR CREEK PROJECT <br />The Bear Creek Project was essentially an AML funded Project designed to reduce the <br />over-steepened north and easterly facing pre-law slopes of the Old Refuse Pile east of <br />the Huntsman Project Area. However, access to the work area required the contractor to <br />utilize most of the flat area located immediately east of the Dutch Creek Diversion. <br />Therefore, final reclamation of all areas east of the Diversion were included in the Bear <br />Creek Project. The Bid was structured so that the cost of performing tasks outside of the <br />pre-law portion of the work area could be billed to the proper account; either the <br />reclamation bond or the remaining funds in the Dutch Creek Diversion Grant,. <br />At the refuse area, the contractor was required to reduce the slope from approximately <br />1 H : 1 V to an average slope of 2.3 H : 1 V. The Division provided the contractor with <br />pre- and post- reclamation topographic maps, and staked the toe of the reclaimed slope. <br />In order to achieve the design configuration, approximately 90,000 cubic yards of refuse <br />were cut from the upper half of the work area, and pushed to the toe of the slope where it <br />was compacted in two foot lifts. Compaction testing by an independent lab verified that <br />compaction achieved greater than 90% of proctor. <br />5