20221021 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20220823

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North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director
August 23, 2022
Ms. Amanda Fuemmeler
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: UT Smith Mill Creek Relocation
UT Smith Mill Creek, Buncombe County
Dear Ms. Fuemmeler:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to relocate 266 ft of an unnamed tributary (UT) to Smith Mill Creek in Buncombe
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).
Wild trout reproduction should not be impacted by the project, and a trout moratorium is not
needed.
The impacts involve relocating a reach of stream that is eroding at a sanitary sewer line. A new
channel reach would be constructed in the dry and flows diverted into the new channel once
construction is complete.
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.
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. UT to Smith Mill Creek runs through a wooded riparian area. Minimize the footprint of the
construction area as much as possible, taking care to protect native vegetation.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

UT Smith Mill Cr Relocation Page 2 August 23, 2022
UT Smith Mill Cr, Buncombe 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: Andrew Bick, Headwaters Engineering
Andrew Moore, NC Division of Water Resources