20191607 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20191211

❑ North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission ❑
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
December 11, 2019
Mr. David Brown
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Stingy Branch
Stingy Branch and UT, Haywood County
Dear Mr. Brown:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to restore 1,084 ft of Stingy Branch and an unnamed tributary (UT) in Haywood
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).
Wild trout reproduction should not be impacted by project activities, and a trout moratorium is
not needed for the project.
The application proposes to stabilize two streams with densely placed structures (log steps, offset
boulder steps, j-hooks, and constructed riffles), bank sloping, and planting. Work will be done in
the dry and flows pumped around the work area. A conservation easement 50 ft wide will be
established, with invasive treatments and supplemental riparian planting. Disturbed areas would
be stabilized within 3 days.
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, especially if rain is forecast.
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.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Stingy Branch Page 2 December 11, 2019
Stingy Br & UT, Haywood County
3. Project streams run through a forested setting. Care should be taken to minimize the
construction access footprint and retain as much native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous
vegetation as possible.
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: Greg Jennings, Jennings Environmental
Amy Annino, NC Division of Water Resources