20140832 Ver 3_WRC Comments_20200331

ltl North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 0
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
March 31, 2020
Mr. David Brown
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Cartoogechaye Creek Repair
Cartoogechaye Creek, Macon County
Dear Mr. Brown:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to repair 875 ft of a previously constructed stream restoration project and improve a
20 ft ford on Cartoogechaye Creek in Macon 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).
There are wild Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout in the vicinity of the project, and project
activities should be avoided between October 15 and April 15 to minimize impact to trout
reproduction. In addition, the site is part of the Cartoogechaye Creek Aquatic Habitat, a NC
Natural Heritage Program natural area rated High due to the richness and importance of rare
species it supports. Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis), Wounded Darter
(Etheostoma vulneratum), Little Tennessee Crayfish (Cambarus georgiae), and Smoky Dace
(Clinostomus sp.), all Federal Species of Concern and NC Special Concern, are found in the
vicinity of the project. Excellent erosion and sediment control on the site is essential to
protecting wild trout and these rare species.
The project involves repairing eroding stream banks with a boulder toe and vegetated soil lifts as
well as native riparian planting. Stream flows will be diverted away from work areas.
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to the aquatic community:
1. 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.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Cartoogechaye Cr Repair March 31, 2020
Cartoogechaye Cr, Macon County
2. Work should be performed from the top of the bank during low flows.
3. Any erosion control matting used should be free of plastic or nylon 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
cc: Zan Price, Jennings Environmental
Andrew Moore, NC Division of Water Resources