20221724 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20230106

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director
January 6, 2023
Ms. Amanda Fuemmeler
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: 147 Sweeten Creek
Wetland in the Sweeten Creek watershed, Buncombe County
Dear Ms. Fuemmeler:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an application to
permanently impact 0.138 acre of wetland for the construction of a drive -through restaurant 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 project activities and a trout moratorium is not needed.
The application proposes to mitigate for project impacts. As no NCWAM form has been completed, we
recommend that a mitigation ratio of 2:1 be used for the wetland impact. In addition, this parcel is in the
rapidly developing area of Asheville; many wetlands in Buncombe County have already been lost to
human activity.
Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on this project. Please contact me at (828) 400-
4223 if you have any questions about these comments.
Sincerely,
Andrea Leslie
Mountain Region Coordinator, Habitat Conservation Program
ec: Laura Belanger, Blue Line Environmental
Andrew Moore, NC Division of Water Resources
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]