20221472 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20221123

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North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director
November 23, 2022
Ms. Brooke Davis
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Pleasant Grove Floodplain Restoration — Conserving Carolina Tracts
French Broad River, Little Willow Creek, UTs, and Wetlands, Henderson County
Dear Ms. Davis:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to restore floodplain habitats and streams, permanently impacting 0.067 acre of
wetland and 4,330 ft of the French Broad River, Little Willow Creek, and unnamed tributaries
(UTs), and temporarily impacting 150 ft of Little Willow Creek and UTs in Henderson County.
I have visited the site multiple times. 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 project activities, and a trout moratorium is
not needed for the project.
The application proposes to restore floodplain habitats on a 97-acre tract at the confluence of
Little Willow Creek and the French Broad River. One existing pond will be repurposed as a
floodplain slough that will have hydrologic connection to the French Broad River; this slough is
proposed to provide breeding habitat for native Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy). Three
additional areas of levee will be breached to provide floodplain connection with the French
Broad River. A floodplain wetland will be created. Little Willow Creek and a UT will be
treated, restoring pattern, profile, and dimension; in -stream structures such as log/boulder vanes,
constructed riffles, and brush toes will be used to stabilize the channels. A riparian buffer will be
planted with native herbaceous seed, shrubs, and trees, and the wetland will be planted with
native seed.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Pleasant Grove Floodplain Restoration Page 2
French Broad R, L Willow Cr, UTs, Henderson Co
November 23, 2022
We are supportive of this project, as it seeks to restore native aquatic and wetland habitats that
are sorely lacking in the French Broad River floodplain. We offer the following
recommendations to minimize impacts to fish and wildlife resources:
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 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.
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: David Brown, Jennings Environmental
Andrew Moore, NC Division of Water Resources
Scott Loftis, NCWRC