20201448 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20201210

9 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 9
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director
December 10, 2020
Ms. Brandee Boggs
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Kapps Mill Stream Restoration
Mitchell River, Surry County
Dear Ms. Boggs,
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to stabilize 1,500 ft of the Mitchell River in Surry 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 negatively impacted by the project, and a trout moratorium
is not required. However, the Brook Floater mussel (Alasmidonta varicosa, US Federal Species
of Concern, NC Endangered) is found in the Mitchell River downstream of the project, and it is
especially important to use excellent erosion and sediment control on the project to minimize
impacts to this species. This reach of the Mitchell River is also a popular trout fishery.
We are supportive of this project, as it should stabilize an extremely unstable reach of the
Mitchell River and benefit habitat within the reach as well as downstream. The project involves
adjustment of planform, installation of rock vanes, log vanes, and toewood with geolifts. A native
forested buffer of 50-70 ft in width will be established on the reach.
I spoke with Jake Byers of Ecosystem Planning and Restoration about additional measures that
could be used to minimize loss of sediment during the project. He proposed to isolate in -stream
work areas with piles of instream cobble, and we support this best management practice.
We recommend that project construction avoid the period of March 1 to June 15 in order to
minimize project impacts to Brook Floater reproduction and a particularly popular trout fishing
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Kapps Mill Restoration Page 2 December 10, 2020
Mitchell River, Surry Co
window. Brook Floaters prefer stable glide habitat, and any instream work that will create this
habitat would be especially beneficial to this species.
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to fish and wildlife resources:
1. Be vigilant with sediment and erosion control during site staging, construction, and cleanup.
Disturbed areas should be stabilized at the end of each workday. Instream work areas should
be isolated with coffer dams or instream material.
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. We recommend that instream construction be avoided between March 1 and June 15 in order
to minimize impacts to Brook Floater reproduction and during a popular trout fishing
window.
4. We recommend emphasizing the creation of stable glide habitat within the reach in order to
benefit the Brook Floater.
5. Please reach out to Andrea Leslie at andrea.leslieAncwildlife.org at least 2 weeks before the
project begins so that NCWRC can coordinate fish stocking and communication with the
angling community.
6. We recommend replacing Willow Oak and Water Oak with other regionally appropriate
species. Both of these species tend to occur in the coastal plain and central/eastern piedmont
of NC.
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: Jake Byers, Ecosystem Planning and Restoration
Sue Homewood, NC Division of Water Resources
Kin Hodges, TJ Johnson, Mike Perkins, and TR Russ, NCWRC
Byron Hamstead, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Joe Mickey