20210676 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20210729

® North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director
July 29, 2021
Mr. David Brown
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Whitewater River Restoration
Whitewater River, Jackson County
Dear Mr. Brown,
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to stabilize 600 ft of the Whitewater River in Jackson County. NCWRC staff
attended a site visit on July 28, 2021. 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 Brown Trout in the Whitewater River, and in -stream activities should be avoided
between October 15 and April 15 to minimize impacts to trout reproduction. In addition, a rare
crayfish, the Chauga Crayfish (Cambarus chaugaensis, US Federal Species of Concern, NC
Special Concern) is found in the river. Excellent sediment and erosion control are essential to
minimize impacts to these important species.
The project involves the placement of a log j-hook and five log vanes in two 300-ft locations
separated by 900 ft of river, bank grading, and replanting of riparian buffer. In -stream machinery
access is proposed for the placement of vanes and j-hook, and the application proposes to access
the river at the downstream work area and walk machinery up through the channel for 900 ft to
access the upstream site. Work will be done at low flows and disturbed areas stabilized within 3
workdays. In -stream cobble will be used to build a coffer dam around the work areas.
Due to the excellent in -stream habitat and important biological community in this stretch of river
and the lack of serious instability in the upstream reach, we recommend against walking the
equipment through 900 ft of stream to access the upstream reach.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Whitewater River Restoration Page 2 July 29, 2021
Whitewater R, Jackson Co
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to fish and wildlife resources:
1. In -stream work should be avoided between October 15 and April 15 to minimize impacts to
wild Brown Trout reproduction.
2. Heavy machinery should not be tracked through the 900 ft of channel to provide access to the
upstream site.
3. Be vigilant with sediment and erosion control during site staging, construction, and cleanup.
Disturbed areas should be stabilized soon as possible, preferably at the end of each work day.
4. 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.
5. If the applicant decides to access the upstream area via an upland route, we recommend that
machinery be thoroughly cleaned of any seed and debris to avoid spreading invasive species
in this intact native riparian area. In addition, we recommend planting the disturbed corridor
with temporary seed and a permanent native seed mix and transplanting native woody
vegetation into the disturbed corridor.
Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on this project. Please contact meat
[phone] if you have any questions about these comments.
Sincerely,
Andrea Leslie
Mountain Region Coordinator, Habitat Conservation Program
ec: Kaylie Yankura, NC Division of Water Resources
Greg Jennings, Jennings Environmental
Bill Bell, landowner