20190446 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20190502

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
May 2, 2019
Ms. Amanda Fuemmeler
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Hyman Riverbank Stabilization
Little Elk Creek, Avery County
Dear Ms. Fuemmeler:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to stabilize 140 feet of streambank on Little Elk Creek in Avery 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.
The applicant proposes to place a boulder two on the eroding section of bank, slope the bank at a
3:1 slope, and mat and seed the bank with native vegetation. We encourage the applicant to use
native shrubs and trees to further stabilize the bank and provide shade for Little Elk Creek.
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to the aquatic community:
1. Work should be avoided during the trout moratorium of October 15 to April 15.
2. 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.
3. Work should be performed from the top of the bank during low flows. Stream flows should
be diverted away from the work area.
4. 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.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Hyman Riverbank Stabilization May 2, 2019
Little Elk Cr, Avery County
5. We recommend that the project incorporate as many native trees and shrubs as possible for
the project. For planting recommendations, please see NC Cooperative Extension's guide on
small-scale solutions to eroding stream banks, attached.
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
Attachment: Small-scale Solutions to Eroding Stream Banks
ec: Jonathan Hyman, landowner
Andrew Moore, NC Division of Water Resources