20191520 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20191127

9 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 0
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
November 27, 2019
Ms. Amanda Fuemmeler
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Sawyer Creek Culvert Installation
Sawyer Creek, Watauga County
Dear Ms. Fuemmeler:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to replace a culvert and stabilize a small reach of eroding stream, impacting I I I ft of
Sawyer Creek in Watauga County. I visited the site with Melanie Carter on November 26, 2019.
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).
There are wild Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout in the project vicinity; however, no moratorium
is required for this project, as delaying the project may cause further destabilization of the
stream. Effective erosion and sediment control on the project are particularly important to
minimize impacts to spawning trout populations
The application proposes to replace a failed 20-ft culvert with an 80-ft culvert and stabilize the
stream immediately upstream and downstream of the culvert with j-hooks and step pools. The
stream runs through a heavily used horse pasture and feeding area. Banks are unstable at the site
of the proposed work, and sediment from the pasture and feeding area is reaching the stream.
There is very little vegetation on the banks and beyond.
The landowner is applying for NRCS funds, which if received, would fence the horses out of the
stream, plant a narrow native buffer, remove a berm, establish alternative watering structures,
and create more stable paths. We strongly recommend that this work be done to lessen the
impacts from the farm on Sawyer Creek. Pasture areas seen were over -used and eroding, and we
recommend that the landowner work with the Soil and Water Conservation District or the
Natural Resource Conservation Service to develop a farm plan to lessen erosion on the farm.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Sawyer Creek Culvert Installation Page 2 November 27, 2019
Sawyer Creek, Watauga County
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to the aquatic community:
1. 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. Disturbed
areas should be seeded, mulched and/or matted as soon as possible, preferably at the end of
each work day.
2. 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.
3. Flows should be diverted around the entire work area.
4. Animals should be fenced out of the stream and a native riparian buffer as wide as possible
be established on Sawyer Creek along the entire property.
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: Sue Homewood, NC Division of Water Resources
Melanie Carter and Josselyn Lucas, design team