20210452 Ver 1_R-2577ABC_Forsyth_404 and 401 IP Application__NCWRC Comments_20210452v1_20230220

9 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 9
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director
February 20, 2023
Eric Alsmeyer
Regulatory Division Office
US Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District
3331 Heritage Trade Drive, Suite 105, Wake Forest, NC 27587
Dave Wanucha
NCDEQ, Division of Water Resources
450 Hanes Mill Road, Suite 300
Winston Salem, NC 27105
Dear Mr. Alsmeyer and Mr. Wanucha,
SUBJECT: Comments on IP Application for US 158 Widening from 4-lane North of I-40 in Forsyth
County to US 220 in Guilford County
R-2577ABC, WBS 37405.1.1, DWR 20210452 ver.I
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) applied for an Individual 404 permit and
401 Water Quality Certification for the subject project. Plans are available and approved under 4C of the
merger process only for R-2577A, the 5.4-mile western section in Forsyth County. Subsequent sections
of the entire 18.8 mile project will require modifications of the permit. I visited the project area on
February 14, 2023 to assess the wildlife resources that may be affected by the R-2577A section of the
project. Comments from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) on the impacts
of R-2577A are offered in accordance with applicable provisions of the state and federal Environmental
Policy Acts (G.S. 113A-Ithrough 113-10; 1 NCAC 25 and 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(c), respectively), the Clean
Water Act of 1977 (33 U.S.C. 466 et seq.), and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (48 Stat. 401, as
amended; 16 U.S.C. 661-667d).
The tributary to Lowery Mill Creek (Site 2) and Martin Mill Creek (Site 6) are incised and impacted by
sediment but they likely support fish and other aquatic life. The reinforced concrete box culverts (RCBC)
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

R-2577ABC Page 2 February 20, 2023
Forsyth and Guilford Co.s
in these locations will be extended. Sensitive or rare aquatic species are not expected in the project area
based on available information.
Major project modifications or conditions are not recommended namely because the R-2577A portion of
the project has already been approved under 4C of the merger process. However, the NCWRC does
recommend that the elevations of the rip rap outlet protection (detail V) be elevated held to approximately
1 foot above the invert of the RCBC extensions. This may facilitate some culvert backwatering and
possible bedload aggradation over time, particularly for site 6 where the sheer stress may diminish with
the addition of the 48" high flow pipe.
Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on this project. Please contact me at
david.mchenryAncwildlife.org or [phone] if you have any questions about these comments.
Cordially,
Dave McHenry, NCWRC Western DOT Coordinator
ec: Amy Euliss, NCDOT Division 9 PDEA Engineer
Steve Brumagin, Regulatory Division Office, US Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District