20230203 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20230309

® North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 9
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director
March 9, 2023
Ms. Amanda Fuemmeler
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Rogers Property Stream Bank Stabilization Newfound Creek
Newfound Creek, Buncombe County
Dear Ms. Fuemmeler,
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to stabilize 279 ft and temporarily impact 10 ft of Newfound Creek 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).
The project should not impact trout reproduction, and project activities do not need to be avoided
during the trout spawning moratorium.
The project involves stabilization of Newfound Creek by installing a floodplain bench,
stabilizing the banks with a rock toe and geolifts, and planting a native riparian buffer of at least
25 ft in width. Work will be done in the dry.
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.
3. We recommend using River Birch and Sycamore only if these species are found on site or
nearby on Newfound Creek.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Rogers Property Stabilization Page 2 March 9, 2023
Newfound Creek, Buncombe Co
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,
za�A4--r�
Andrea Leslie
Mountain Region Coordinator, Habitat Conservation Program
cc: Andrew Moore, NC Division of Water Resources
David Brown, Jennings Environmental