SpringdaleCountryClub_UTsLongBr_Haywood_NCWRCComments

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director

Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
June 7, 2023

Ms. Brooke Davis
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006

SUBJECT: Springdale Country Club
Unnamed tributaries to Long Branch, Haywood County

Dear Ms. Davis:

Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to impact 705 ft of unnamed tributaries (UTs) to Long Branch in Haywood 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).

There are wild Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout in the vicinity, and in-stream activities should be
avoided between October 15 and April 15 in order to minimize impacts to trout reproduction.

The project involves impacts associated with future construction of golf course infrastructure as
well as restoration of a stream channel that was impacted by unpermitted activities. A 360-ft
reach of a UT will be restored with in-stream structures, bank sloping, and planting. 445 ft of
stream will be culverted, and 150 ft will be impacted through the removal of an old pond.
Previous unpermitted impacts have been identified. Unpermitted and proposed impacts should be
mitigated, and we recommend a 2:1 mitigation ratio be used.

We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to fish and wildlife resources:
1. Be vigilant with sediment and erosion control during site staging, construction, and cleanup.
We appreciate that disturbed areas will be stabilized at the end of each day.
2. Work should be done at low flows.
3. In-stream work should be avoided between October 15 and April 15 to minimize impacts to
wild trout.
4. 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
Springdale Country Club Page 2 June 7, 2023
UTs Long Br, Haywood County
may last for years. The matting specified (Rollmax Bionet SC150BN) appears to use plastic
mesh; matting comprised of all natural materials, including mesh, should be used.
5. The planted buffer on the stream that will be restored will have a planted buffer of 6 ft in
width. We recommend that a woody buffer as wide as possible (we recommend at least 30
feet) be planted on 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.
6. Seeding specifications include Sudangrass, which is invasive and should not be used in
riparian areas. We recommend an alternative of Oats, Wheat, or Rye Grain.

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: Preston Gregg, PR Engineering
Joey Winston, NC Division of Water Resources