20191642 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20191213

❑ North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission ❑
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
December 13, 2019
Ms. Amanda Fuemmeler
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Springside Road at Overlook Road Sewer Rehabilitation
UTs to French Broad River, Buncombe County
Dear Ms. Fuemmeler:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to temporarily impact 20 ft of two unnamed tributaries (UTs) to the French Broad
River in Buncombe 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 replace failing sewer line, crossing two streams via trench cut and
stabilize stream banks with coir matting.
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.
3. Stream channels should be restored to near pre -disturbance conditions. Channel dimensions
should mimic the existing dimensions unless unstable, and the stream bed should set be at the
pre-existing elevation. At least 6-8 inches of natural bed material should be placed on top of
the restored stream channel bed; this bed material should mimic that which is found in the
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Springside Road Sewer Rehabilitation Page 2 December 13, 2019
UTs French Broad, Buncombe County
stream bed. Banks should be stabilized with a seed mix that includes a quick -growing
temporary seed and native riparian vegetation. Native woody vegetation should also be
planted.
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: Shawn Armistead, Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County
Andrew Moore, NC Division of Water Resources