20200714 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20200626

9 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 9
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
June 26, 2020
Ms. Amanda Fuemmeler
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: River Run
South Fork New River, Ashe County
Dear Ms. Fuemmeler:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to stabilize 124 ft of the South Fork New River in Ashe 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).
Project activities should not impact wild trout and do not need to be avoided during the trout
moratorium. This portion of the river is recognized by the NC Natural Heritage Program as part
of the South Fork New River Aquatic Habitat, rated Exceptional for the richness of rare species it
contains. A number of rare and listed species are found in the project vicinity, including the
Spike mussel [Elliptio dilatata, NC Special Concern (SC)], Seep Mudalia (Leptoxis dilatata, NC
SC), Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, US Federal Species of Concern, NC
SC), and two rare fish endemic to the New River basin --Kanawha Rosyface Shiner [Notropis sp.,
NC Significantly Rare (SR)] and Kanawha Darter (Etheostoma kanawhae, NC SR).
The application proposes to stabilize an eroding reach of bank on the South Fork New River by
placing large rock in areas where the bank has eroded and planting vegetation. Rock will not be
placed in the river, and work will be done from the bank.
We strongly recommend that a native woody buffer of at least 30 feet in width be planted as
infrastructure allows in order to ensure project success. A wide forested buffer can ensure
greater bank stability, filter overland pollutants, and provide habitat for birds and other wildlife.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

River Run Page 2 June 26, 2020
S Fork New R, Ashe 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 workday.
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. In larger areas of erosion, we recommend backing the rock with a semipermeable liner and
stacking the rock to mimic a sloped bank.
4. We recommend that a native woody buffer as wide as possible (we recommend at least 30
feet in width) be planted on the stream banks as infrastructure allows in order to ensure
project success.
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: Butch Harrison, landowner
Sue Homewood, NC Division of Water Resources