20151027 Ver 2_WRC Comments_20200724

n North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 0
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
July 24, 2020
Ms. Amanda Fuemmeler
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Lake Tomahawk Sediment Management
Tomahawk Branch, Buncombe County
Dear Ms. Fuemmeler:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to dredge Tomahawk Branch just upstream of Lake Tomahawk, install a boulder
cross vane, and repair a bridge, impacting 229 ft of Tomahawk Branch 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 Rainbow Trout are found in the Swannanoa River, and project activities should be avoided
between January 1 and April 15 to minimize impacts to trout reproduction. In addition, Eastern
Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, US Federal Species of Concern, NC Special
Concern) is found in the Swannanoa River. Effective sediment and erosion control are essential
to protect these species.
The lake will be lowered over 2-3 days, limiting the rate to 1 ft per day. Lake lowering will be
done via a bottom valve, which is used annually. Town staff will monitor turbidity when the
valve is opened and close the valve if turbidity does not dissipate or becomes visibly worse over
the first 10 minutes. The discharge will be visually monitored daily during the drawdown to
verify a turbidity free discharge. Flows will be pumped around Tomahawk Branch where
dredging and other instream work will be performed.
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to fish and wildlife:
1. Project activities should be accomplished as quickly as possible and vigilance used in
sediment and erosion control during site preparation, construction, and clean up.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Lake Tomahawk Sediment Management Page 2 July 24, 2020
Tomahawk Br, Buncombe County
2. Disturbed areas should be seeded, mulched and/or matted as soon as possible. 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.
3. Work should be avoided between January 1 and April 15 to minimize impacts to Rainbow
Trout spawning and egg development.
4. Minimum flows should be maintained in the receiving stream during pond refill. At a
minimum, 50% of the streamflow should be maintained within the stream.
5. We encourage the Town to use native plantings along the stream and lake, such as
wildflowers that are beneficial to pollinators, native shrubs, and trees. Feel free to contact
Andrea Leslie at andrea.lesliekncwildlife.org for planting recommendations.
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: Jake McLean, Wildlands Engineering
Andrew Moore, NC Division of Water Resources