20140832 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20140918

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
September 5, 2014
Mr. David Brown
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801 -5006
SUBJECT: Comments on Lake Emory Stream Restoration Project and Coweeta Stream Restoration
Proj ect
Thompson Branch and Tessentee Creek, Macon County
Dear Mr. Brown,
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed two applications
for stream restoration in Macon County - one to restore 1,052 feet of Thompson Branch ( "Lake Emory
Stream Restoration Project ") and another to restore 2,460 feet of Tessentee Creek ( "Coweeta Stream
Restoration Project'). Our comments on these applications 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).
We are supportive of both of these projects, as Tessentee Creek and Thompson Branch are unstable and
significant sources of sediment to the Little Tennessee River. There are records of wild Rainbow and
Brown Trout in the vicinities of both sites; however, these populations are marginal. We believe that the
benefit of stabilizing these sites quickly outweighs the risk of impacts to marginal trout habitat.
Therefore, we do not request a trout moratorium for either project.
There are a number of listed species in the vicinity of both projects. In Tessentee Creek, two North
Carolina Special Concern species are found in the vicinity of the project -- Smoky Dace and Little
Tennessee Crayfish. Both Smoky Dace and Little Tennessee Crayfish prefer deeper low velocity edge
habitats associated with woody debris; we encourage the use of woody debris or root wads to create low
velocity littoral habitats.
Thompson Branch is a tributary to Watauga Creek, which flows into a high priority reach of the Little
Tennessee River that serves as habitat for a rich assemblage of fish and mussel species, many of which
are state or federally listed or Significantly Rare. Watauga Creek does serve as occasional habitat for the
Mailing Address: Division of Inland Fisheries • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699 -1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Coweeta & Lake Emory Stream Restoration Page 2 September 5, 2014
Macon
federally Threatened Spotfin Chub. For this project, we request the use of sediment and erosion control
practices outlined in the Design Standards for Sensitive Watersheds (15A NCAC 4B .0124).
For both projects, we recommend that careful consideration be given to the timing of project construction;
it is imperative that vegetation be established in order to stabilize these sites as quickly as possible. In
addition, we recommend that particular care be used with sediment and erosion control measures during
site preparation, construction, and clean up.
Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on these projects. Please contact me at (828) 296-
4720 if you have any questions about these comments.
Sincerely,
Andrea Leslie
Mountain Region Coordinator
Habitat Conservation Program
ec: Grant Ginn, Wolf Creek Engineering
Chuck Cranford, NC Division of Water Resources