HomeMy WebLinkAbout20210796 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20210514
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: (919) 707-0220 • Fax: (919) 707-0028
May 14, 2021
Ms. Amanda Fuemmeler
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Culvert Pipe for Driveway - Luczynski
UT to Call Creek, Ashe County
Dear Ms. Fuemmeler:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to culvert an unnamed tributary (UT) to Call Creek 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).
There are wild Brook Trout in Call Creek, and project activities should be avoided between
October 15 and April 15 in order to minimize impacts to trout reproduction. This native trout is
sensitive to excess sediment, and effective erosion and sediment management is essential to
protect this species.
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. Disturbed
areas should be seeded, mulched and/or matted as soon as possible, preferably at the end of
each workday. At a minimum, disturbed areas should be stabilized within five working days
or seven calendar days, whichever is shorter.
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. Project activities should be avoided between October 15 and April 15 to minimize impacts to
trout reproduction.
4. We recommend that disturbed stream banks be planted with native vegetation to better ensure
bank stability.
Luczynski Culvert Page 2 May 14, 2021
UT to Call Cr, Ashe Co
5. Culvert material is not specified. We recommend against using slick-walled plastic (or high
density polyethylene) pipe, as this slick material is less likely to hold stream substrate and
provide for movement of aquatic organisms in a spring run like salamanders. Using material
like corrugated metal is more likely to allow movement of animals.
Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on this project. Please contact me at
(828) 400-4223 if you have any questions about these comments.
Sincerely,
Andrea Leslie
Mountain Region Coordinator, Habitat Conservation Program
ec: David Luczynski, landowner
Sue Homewood, NC Division of Water Resources