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Home My WebLink About20191577 Ver 1_Monitoring Report_20230414CLearWaLer An EnviroScience Company Clearwater Environmental Consultants, Inc. www.ewenv.com April 14, 2023 Mr. Andrew Moore Division of Water Resources Asheville Regional Office 2090 U.S. 70 Highway Swannanoa, NC 28778-8211 RE: Project Ranger (SAW-2019-01867) (DWR Project No.20191577) Year 3 Annual Documentation Buncombe County, North Carolina Dear Mr. Moore, The attached Year 3 Annual Documentation is submitted on behalf of Lee Thomason and Biltmore Farms, LLC. in compliance with condition 8 of the DWR 401 Permit WQC004226 issued June 1, 2020. Project Ranger is also authorized under Section 404 and Section 10 in a permit issued by USACE on July 10, 2020 for the construction of a bridge over the French Broad River. The site is located at 1600 Brevard Road, in Asheville, North Carolina (Figure 1). A qualitative assessment of the banks upstream and downstream of the bridge location was performed by ClearWater Environmental Consultants, an EnviroScience Company, on March 21, 2023. Please do not hesitate to contact me at 828-698-9800 if you have any questions or comments. Sincerely, McKenzie Beyer, P.W.S. Biologist R. Clement Riddle, P.W.S. Senior Scientist 145 71' Avenue West, Suite B Hendersonville, NC 28792 828-698-9800 Tel Biltmore Farms Project Ranger Year 3 Annual — Photographic Documentation — 04/14/2023 Project Ranger has been authorized to begin construction of a bridge over the French Broad River in a Section 404 and Section 10 issued by USACE on July 10, 2020, and the Division of Water Resources Water Quality Certification Issued June 1, 2020. The site is located at 1600 Brevard Road, in Asheville, NC (Figure 1). The Year 3 Annual qualitative assessment of the banks upstream and downstream of the bridge location was performed by ClearWater on March 21, 2023, in compliance with condition 8 of the DWR 401 Permit WQC004226 issued June 1, 2020. This qualitative monitoring will be repeated quarterly for one year, or two bankfull events (whichever is longer), and then annually for three years. Clearing for the bridge began in early February 2021. With the completion of this report ClearWater has achieved quarterly monitoring for one year and two bankfull events. Moving forward monitoring will be performed annually for three years to comply with condition 8 of the 401 permit, this site assessment is the first of three annual documentations. The assessment included collecting eighteen (18) georeferenced photographs of both banks of the French Broad River and noting any existing visible areas of bank erosion (Figures 1 - 2). The upstream extent of the study reach began at Bent Creek River Park, approximately 600 LF upstream from the proposed bridge location, while the downstream extent ended at an overhead electric (OHE) powerline crossing, approximately 1200 LF downstream from the proposed bridge location. The photo points were georeferenced with Trimble sub -meter GPS device and collected both on foot and by canoe. Three areas of active erosion or bare vertical banks were identified during the baseline survey conducted on December 21, 2020 and were observed again during the March 21, 2023 survey. One area of sediment aggradation was identified during the June 10, 2021 survey. Active sediment aggradation was not observed during the Year 3 Annual monitoring. Area 1 includes portions of bank erosion at Bent Creek Park on the left bank of the French Broad River. This is visible in Photo Point 1. The erosion in Area 1 is likely due to the lack of a forested buffer and heavy use of the banks by the general public to access the creek. No change was observed. Area 2 includes a vertical bare bank on the right bank of the French Broad River visible in Photo Point 14. This bare bank is immediately downstream from a log debris jam, approximately 350 feet downstream from the bridge location. No change was observed. Area 3 includes vertical bare banks which are actively slumping and eroding, located on the right bank of the French Broad River. The Area 3 erosion is visible from Photo Point 8 and Photo Point 16. This portion of the bank lacks a forested buffer and is located in a maintained OHE right-of-way (ROW). The location of the photo points and three areas of existing bank erosion are indicated on the attached Overview Map (Figure 2). Area 4 includes a previously documented bar of sediment aggradation along the right bank of the French Broad River. This area formed approximately 75 feet downstream from the rip -rap causeway near the bridge construction site (Figure 2). The aggradation effect was likely caused by an eddy Page 1 of 12 current downstream of the temporary bridge causeway. The upland work area at this location was surveyed and no instance of silt fencing failure or sediment escape into the river was observed. This previously observed sediment aggradation has dissipated and is no longer visible following the causeway removal. Page 2 of 12 Photo Point 2 Faciniz Left Bank to Bent Creek Confluence - No chance observed. Photo Point 3 Facing Left Bank Causeway was removed prior to the last site evaluation in May 2022. No change observed since then. Page 3 of 12 21 023 09: y Photo Point 6 Facing Left Bank - No change observed. Photo Point 7 Facing Left Bank - No change observed. Page 5 of 12 Photo Point 7 Facing Downstream Left Bank - No change observed. I Photo Point 8 Facing Upstream at Right Bank - No change observed. Page 6 of 12 Page 7 of 12 21/03/2023 10:33= Photo Point 11 Facina Left Bank from Rock Outcrop — Causewav removed. { q{IIti i� 'I Nt j Photo Point 12 Facing Right Bank — Previous site of causeway, has since been removed. Page 8 of 12 R"- 180 Mf. - - --- - - - - ---_-_ -- -_____--__-_----ram _ - k Photo Point 17 Facing Downstream at Bent Creek Confluence - No change observed. Page 11 of 12 P.r Photo Point 18 Right Bank, Facing Downstream. North of Bridge Construction. Previously observed sediment aggradation has dissipated and is no longer visible following the causeway removal. Page 12 of 12