KingPropertyLewisCrRestoration_LewisCr_Henderson_NCWRCComments

9 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 9
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director
June 15, 2023
Mr. Shannon Healy
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: King Property - Lewis Creek Restoration
Lewis Creek, Coon Branch, and UT, Henderson County
Dear Ms. Healy:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to restore 3,033 ft of Lewis Creek, an unnamed tributary (UT) to Lewis Creek, and
Coon Creek in Henderson 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).
Project activities should not impact wild trout, and a trout moratorium is not needed for the
project.
The project proposes to stabilize eroding reaches of stream by installing in -stream structures
including constructed riffles and log and boulder j-hooks, installing toewood protection, grading
stream banks, and planting a native riparian buffer. Work will be done in the wet, with
equipment in -stream; coffer dams of gravel and cobble harvested from the stream would be used
to isolate flows from work areas.
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to the aquatic community:
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 work day.
2. Any erosion control matting used should be free of 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.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

King Property Lewis Cr Restoration Page 2 June 15, 2023
Lewis Cr, Henderson Co
3. The application notes that the planted buffer will be at least 20 ft in width. We recommend
that a woody buffer of at least 30 feet be planted on both sides of the stream as infrastructure
allows in order to ensure project success. A wide forested buffer can ensure greater bank
stability, filter overland pollutants, and provide habitat for birds and other wildlife.
4. Work on Coon Branch should be done in the dry by pumping flows around work areas.
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,
Andrea Leslie
Mountain Region Coordinator, Habitat Conservation Program
ec: David Brown, Jennings Environmental
Andrew Moore, NC Division of Water Resources