20191271 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20191017

9 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 0
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
October 17, 2019
Ms. Amanda Fuemmeler
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Dutch Creek Western NC Stream Initiative Project
Dutch Creek and UT, Watauga County
Dear Ms. Fuemmeler:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to stabilize 1,082 of Dutch Creek and an unnamed tributary (UT) and place
permanent crossings on 36 ft of the same streams in Ashe County. Our comments on this
application are offered for your consideration under provisions of the Clean Water Act of 1977
(33 U.S.C. 466 et. seq.) and Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (48 Stat. 401, as amended; 16
U.S.C. 661-667d).
Brown Trout may be the vicinity of the project; however, we do not expect project activities to
impact trout reproduction as long as excellent erosion and sediment control is used. Eastern
Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, US Federal Species of Concern, NC Special
Concern) is found in Dutch Creek and the downstream Watauga River and are especially
sensitive to excessive sediment.
The application proposes to stabilize Dutch Creek and the UT using in -stream structures
including cross vanes, j-hooks, rock vanes, constructed riffles, and toe wood, creating a bankfull
bench, bank sloping, and planting native woody and herbaceous vegetation. Work will be done
from the bank where possible, except where in -stream access is necessary to install instream
structures. According to Adam Williams, tream flows will be temporarily diverted from in -
channel work areas and work on the UT will be performed in the dry. Planted buffers will be 30
ft in width. Work areas will be stabilized each day. We support this project, as it should address
bank erosion and reduce instream sediment.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Dutch Creek WNCSI Page 2 October 17, 2019
Dutch Cr & UT, Watauga County
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to the aquatic community:
1. As Eastern Hellbenders may be in the project area, we recommend avoiding the disturbance
of large flat rocks and watching for any hellbenders during construction. If animals are
disturbed during construction, they should be captured in a bucket and moved away from the
area of disturbance. Please notify Andrea Leslie(andrea.leslie(a),ncwildlife.org) and Lori
Williams (lori.williams(ibncwildlife.org) if hellbenders are found.
2. The application notes that disturbed areas will be stabilized at the end of each work day. In -
channel work should be accomplished as quickly as possible and vigilance used in sediment
and erosion control during site preparation, construction, and clean up.
3. Any erosion control matting used should be free of nylon or plastic mesh, as this type of
mesh netting frequently entangles wildlife and is slow to degrade, resulting in a hazard that
may last for years.
Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on this project. Please contact me at
[phone] if you have any questions about these comments.
Sincerely,
Andrea Leslie
Mountain Region Coordinator, Habitat Conservation Program
ec: Adam Williams, Brushy Fork Environmental Consulting
Sue Homewood, NC Division of Water Resources
Thomas Johnson and Lori Williams, NCWRC