20221355 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20221031

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director
October 31, 2022
Ms. Brooke Davis
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Crab Creek and Shoal Creek Restoration
Crab Creek, Shoal Creek and UT to Crab Creek, Henderson County
Dear Ms. Davis:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to restore 1,300 ft of Crab Creek, Shoal Creek, and an unnamed tributary (UT) to
Crab Creek in Henderson 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 Brown Trout are found in Crab Creek, and in -stream activities should be avoided between
October 15 and April 15 to minimize impacts to trout reproduction. In addition, French Broad
River Crayfish [Cambarus reburrus, US Federal Species of Concern (FSC), NC Special Concern
(SC)] and Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, US FSC, NC SC) are found in the
project vicinity. Effective erosion and sediment control are necessary to minimize impacts to
these sensitive and rare species.
The application proposes to restore unstable reaches of stream by constructing a stable
dimension, profile, and pattern, using constructed riffles, j-hooks, brush toe revetments, rock toe,
bank and floodplain grading, and riparian vegetation. The planted woody buffer will be greater
than 30 ft wide, and a 15-ft pollinator strip will be planted outside the buffer on the right bank, as
well. We appreciate the attention to native plantings that are proposed.
Work on Shoal Creek and new reaches of Crab Creek will be constructed in the dry, but due to
the size of Crab Creek, work on existing reaches will be done in the wet. In these reaches, flows
will be diverted around the work areas with cobble/gravel berms.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Crab Cr and Shoal Cr Restoration Page 2 October 31, 2022
Crab Cr, Shoal Cr, UT, Henderson Co
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to the aquatic community:
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. We
appreciate that disturbed areas will be stabilized end of each workday.
2. Work should be done at low flows.
3. We appreciate the plan specification that erosion control matting used will 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.
4. In -stream activities (including turning the stream into the newly constructed reaches) should
be accomplished outside of the period of October 15 to April 15 to minimize impacts to trout
reproduction.
5. Unless River Birch is found nearby on Crab Creek or Shoal Creek, we recommend
eliminating this large river species in favor of Sweet Birch and/or Yellow Birch.
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: Zan Price, Jennings Environmental
Andrew Moore, NC Division of Water Resources