20150208 Ver 1_More Info Received_20150331

Fox, Tim
From:
Leslie, Andrea 1
Sent:
Tuesday, March 31, 2015 1:32 PM
To:
Brown, David W SAW
Cc:
Clement Riddle; Fox, Tim
Subject:
Camp Watia - NCWRC comments
Attachments:
CampWatia TownhouseBranch &UTs_SwainCo WRCComments.pdf
Hi David,
Attached are NCWRC's comments on the Camp Watia project.
Andrea
Andrea Leslie
Mountain Habitat Conservation Coordinator
NC Wildlife Resources Commission
(828) 296 -4720 (office)
(828) 400 -4223 (cell)
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® North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
March 31, 2015
Mr. David Brown
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801 -5006
SUBJECT: Camp Watia
Townhouse Branch and UTs, Swain County
Dear Mr. Brown:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to impact 254 feet of stream and fill 0.024 acre of wetland to install culverts, sewer
line crossings, a swimming dock, and a wastewater treatment plant for a YMCA camp in Swain
County. I visited the site along with representatives of the US Army Corps of Engineers and NC
Division of Water Resources on March 16, 2015. 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 Seat. 401, as amended; 16 U.S.C. 661- 667d).
This project should not affect trout and the activities do not need to be avoided during the trout
spawning moratorium. We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to the
aquatic community:
1. Impact Site #10 is an after -the -fact culvert. This culvert was not buried sufficiently and is not
holding any stream substrate; it is likely a barrier to aquatic organism passage (AOP). This
culvert should be removed or reset to meet AOP guidelines as soon as possible.
2. Design specifications for utility crossings were submitted in an email dated March 25, 2015.
The drawings do not specify the depth of natural bed material to be placed on top of rip rap
protecting the sewer line; the depth of natural bed material should be at least 6 -8 inches. This
bed material should mimic that which is found in the stream bed. In addition, the drawings
include filter fabric within the channel; this should not be used.
3. The stream channel at utility crossings should be restored to near pre - disturbance conditions.
4. Effective sediment and erosion control measures must be used and maintained to stabilize the
stream banks quickly after the culverts and utility lines are installed. Heavy fiber matting
such as coir over straw and a mix of quick growing seed such as Rye Grain or Oats, Red
Mailing Address: Division of Inland Fisheries • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699 -1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Camp wain Page 2 March 31, 2015
Townhouse Branch & UTs, Swain County
Clover, and Creeping Red Fescue is recommended wherever there are exposed soils near the
stream. Tall Fescue should be avoided. Any matting used on site should be free of nylon
mesh; nylon mesh netting frequently entangles wildlife and is slow to degrade, resulting in a
hazard that may last for years.
5. We recommend that removal of riparian vegetation along streams be avoided as much as
possible outside of the impact areas.
6. Streams should not be excavated except in the immediate vicinity of the impact locations.
7. At the time of our site visit, roads were being graded. There were at least two stream
crossings where loose dirt was pushed over the culvert, down to the stream. Effective
erosion and sediment control measures should be used on all road building and improvement
projects in order to keep sediment out of streams and wetlands.
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 or need further assistance.
Sincerely,
Andrea Leslie
Mountain Region Coordinator, Habitat Conservation Program
ec: Clement Riddle, ClearWater Environmental
Tim Fox, NC Division of Water Resources