20091024 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20091019

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 0
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
October 19, 2009
Ms. Liz Hair
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
Ms. Cyndi Karoly
NCDENR, Division of Water Quality, 401 Unit
1628 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1628
SUBJECT: Nationwide Permit Application for Mr. Thomas and Betsy Little
Wetland fill, Deer Lake, Transylvania County
DWQ No. 09-1024
Dear Ms. Hair and Ms. Karoly:
Mr. Thomas and Betsy Little requested a letter of concurrence from the North Carolina Wildlife
Resources Commission (Commission) for a 404 permit to fill 0.017 acre of wetland along Deer Lake in
Brevard. I visited the site on October 16, 2009. Comments from the Commission are provided under
provisions of 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).
This project will not harm trout. However, it will eliminate a portion of good quality lake-fringe wetlands
that are important habitat for amphibians and possibly bog turtles (NC threatened, Glyptemys
muhlenbergii). Bog turtles have been found in a nearby drainage.
A minor realignment of the proposed home could avoid the wetland fill. We recommend considering this
alternative, particularly since the property is for sale and plans may be subject to change. However, if the
project is permitted as proposed, then we ask that effective sediment and erosion controls be used during
filling and construction to avoid sedimentation in the remaining wetlands.
Mailing Address: Division of Inland Fisheries • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
Little
Transylvania
Page 2 October 19, 2009
Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on this project. Please contact me at (828) 452-
2546 extension 24 if there are any questions about these comments.
Sincerely,
;,//X .
Dave McHenry
Mountain Region Coordinator
Habitat Conservation Program
cc: Ms. Rebekah Newton, Clearwater Environmental Consultants
Ms. Susan Wilson, NCDENR, Division of Water Quality
Mr. Brian Tompkins, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service