20030147 Ver 2_Aquatic Life Monitoring Below draft rpt_20170301

Water Resources
Environmental Quality
March 1, 2017
Alan W. Stuart
Senior Project Manager
Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC
Water Strategy, Hydro Licensing and Lake Services
526 S. Church Street, EC12Y
Charlotte, NC 28202
ROY COOPER
Governor
MICHAEL S. REGAN
Secretary
S. JAY ZIMMERMAN
Director
Subject: Review Yadkin -Pee Dee Hydroelectric Project FERC No. 2206, Aquatic Life Monitoring
Below the Tillery Hydroelectric Plant, Draft Report
Dear Mr. Stuart:
Staff within the Water Sciences Section (Bryn Tracy) has reviewed the Yadkin -Pee Dee Hydroelectric
Project FERC No. 2206, Aquatic Life Monitoring Below the Tillery Hydroelectric Plant, Draft Report (e-mail
transmittal letter dated February 17, 2017). This monitoring and report are required by the existing FERC
License. Our comments on the report are:
1. Please address all future correspondence letters and reports to me, Cyndi Karoly, Water
Sciences Section Chief.
2. It is very encouraging to see that the dissolved oxygen enhancements are having a positive effect
on the instream concentrations (which are now rarely less than the water quality standard of 4
mg/L instantaneous measurements) and on the benthic macroinvertebrate community (which is
no longer rated Fair as it was in 2008).
3. It is also encouraging to see that the non -indigenous Flathead Catfish is not seemingly having a
deleterious effect on the shallow water fish communities as evidence of the numerous bullheads,
madtoms, and darters.
4. Please keep the Division informed of any plans that Duke Energy might have in attempting to
control or manage the invasive Hydrilla in this reach of the river.
5. The Division would like to request that all resulting data be submitted to the Division in a timely
analytical report, as it has been, and also in an electronic format by following Division guidance --
http://deo. nc.gov/about/d ivisions/water-resources/plan ning/modeling-assessmenVwater-gual ity-
data-assessment and https://ncdenr.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-
public/Water%200uality/Planning/TMDUData/DataSubmittallnstructions8.26.16.pdf. The
electronic data should not be a pdf of the report, but the actual data, itself.
Thank you for submitting this report. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact
staff within.the Water Sciences Section (919-743-8400).
Sincerely �nc�yours, y
� U e('
Cyndi Karoly, Chief
Water Sciences Section
Electronic copies to: Pamela Behm, Karen Higgins, Fred Tarver, and Brian Wrenn (DWR)
-'%"Nothing Compares':....
State of North Carolina I Environmental Quality / Water Sciences Section
1621 Mail Service Center I Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1621
919-743-8400