20201698 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20201215

9 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 9
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director
December 15, 2020
Ms. Brandee Boggs
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Spice Bottom Creek Crossing
Spice Bottom Creek, Watauga County
Dear Ms. Boggs,
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to permanently impact 30 ft of Spice Bottom Creek for a 20-ft culvert in Watauga
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 Brown Trout in the project vicinity, and instream activities should be avoided between
October 15 and April 15 to minimize impacts to trout reproduction.
The proposed culvert is a squash pipe, and a floodplain culvert is also planned, which should
help pass flood flows.
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to fish and wildlife:
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. As
described in the application, disturbed areas should be seeded, mulched and/or matted at the
end of each workday.
2. Any erosion control matting used should be free of plastic or nylon mesh, as this type of
mesh frequently entangles wildlife and is slow to degrade, resulting in a hazard that may last
for years.
3. Instream activities should be avoided between October 15 and April 15 to minimize impacts
to trout reproduction.
4. We recommend planting native shrubs and trees in disturbed area of the channel.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Spice Bottom Creek Crossing Page 2 December 15, 2020
Spice Bottom Cr, Watauga Co
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: Josselyn Lucas, BREC
Sue Homewood, NC Division of Water Resources