20221781 Ver 1_WR 20221781v1_Town of Indian Trail_Chestnut Parkway_NWP Application__NCWRC Comments_20230109

9 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 9
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director
January 9, 2023
Steven Kichefski
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Asheville Regulatory Field Office
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, NC 28801
Amy Chapman
NCDEQ Division of Water Resources, Transportation Permitting
512 N. Salisbury St., Archdale Building, 12th floor
Raleigh, NC 27604
SUBJECT: Comments on NWP/WQC Application for Chestnut Parkway over South Fork Crooked
Creek, Union County
DWR 20221781 ver.1
Dear Mr. Kichefski and Ms. Chapman,
The Town of Indian Trail applied for a 404 Permit and 401 Certification for the subject project. This
project will connect Gribble Road (SR 1368) from the end of future U-5800 (Chestnut Lane Connector) to
Old Monroe Road to the south. I visited the project area on December 29, 2022 to assess anticipated
impacts of the project on wildlife habitats. Comments on the application from the North Carolina
Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) are offered to conserve wildlife resources affected by the
project and to promote wildlife -based recreation in accordance with applicable provisions of the state and
federal Environmental Policy Acts (G.S. 113A-Ithrough 113-10; 1 NCAC 25 and 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(c),
respectively), the Clean Water Act of 1977 (33 U.S.C. 466 et seq.), and the Fish and Wildlife
Coordination Act (48 Stat. 401, as amended; 16 U.S.C. 661-667d).
The project will impact the South Fork Crooked Creek (C) for a 2� 14'x8' reinforced concrete box
culvert (RCBC) crossing and rip rap for inlet and outlet protection. This stream has a fine sand substrate
and forested buffer near the impact location. There are no wetland impacts proposed.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Town of Indian Trail Page 2 January 9, 2023
Union County
South Fork Crooked Creek is ranked very high by the NC Natural Heritage Program due to several
imperiled species that it supports. These include eastern creekshell (Villosa delumbus, NC Significantly
Rare) and Carolina creekshell (Villosa vaughaniana, NC Endangered). These mussels are downstream of
the project area, but mussels have not been found closer to the proposed road crossing according to
relatively recent surveys. One survey noted that the stream habitat appears poor for Atlantic pigtoe
(Fusconaia masom, US Endangered) and Carolina heelsplitter (Lasmigona decorata, US Endangered).
The NCWRC recommends verifying that additional survey work is not considered necessary by the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
There is a relatively new culvert like that proposed about a quarter mile downstream of the impact
location under Indian Trail Road (attached see photo). That culvert is retaining bedload, both in its high
and low flow cells, and should thereby be passable to aquatic life. The proposed culvert should function
similarly though it is moderately longer. As not proposed with this project, native material should
normally be used for capping high flow benches of inlet and outlet channels to facilitate wildlife passage
within high flow barrels. However, in this situation, it is likely not necessary since the stream's high sand
load should fill the voids of the proposed class II rip rap (or class I per details) relatively quickly.
The NCWRC has no major concerns or conditions to suggest with the project. However, we do take the
opportunity to note that, in accordance with current GC conditions, erosion matting with nylon mesh
should not be used on streambanks as it entangles and kills wildlife. Coir matting should be used instead.
It doesn't appear that this project will require much stabilization beyond the plating. It is nonetheless
worth considering the matting requirement so that erosion control plans and quantity computations can be
adjusted, as needed, before construction.
Thank you for the opportunity to review and provide recommendations on this project. Please contact me
at david.mchenrykncwildlife.org or [phone] if you have any questions about these comments.
Cordially,
Dave McHenry, NCWRC Western DOT Coordinator
cc: Holland Youngman, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Asheville
Olivia Munzer, NCWRC Western Piedmont Coordinator
Eric Alsmeyer, USACE, Raleigh Regulatory Field Office
Robert Crowther, Carolina Ecosystems, Inc.

Town of Indian Trail Page 3 January 9, 2023
Union County
RCBC under Indian Trail Road facing upstream, December 28, 2022.