20150308 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20150331

0 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 0
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
March 31, 2015
Ms. Tasha Alexander
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801 -5006
SUBJECT: New River Falls Project
Middle Fork South Fork New River, Watauga County
Dear Ms. Alexander:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission ( NCWRC) reviewed an application to
stabilize 157 feet of the Middle Fork South Fork New River in Watauga 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).
This project should not affect trout and the activities do not need to be avoided during the trout spawning
moratorium.
We are supportive of this project, as it is intended to address an eroding section of channel with a
bioengineering approach. We recommend that any erosion control matting used 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.
Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on this project. NCWRC staff would like to
observe the project during or after construction. 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: Glen Sullivan, Foggy Mountain Nursery
Sue Homewood, NC Division of Water Resources
Mailing Address: Division of Inland Fisheries • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699 -1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]