20150535 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20150708

E North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission IQ
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
June 9, 2015
Mr. David Brown
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801 -5006
SUBJECT: Hyatt Creek (McDonald) Site Stream Restoration Project
Hyatt Creek, Haywood County
Dear Mr. Brown:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to restore 1,398 feet of Hyatt Creek 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).
The project proposes to restore an eroding reach of Hyatt Creek by adjusting profile, dimension,
and pattern with in- stream structures, a floodplain at bankfull elevation, and bank and riparian
area vegetation. The stream runs through a former pasture and has minimal riparian buffers. We
are supportive of this project, as it should stabilize an eroding reach of stream and enhance
aquatic habitat.
There are Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout in the vicinity of the project, and in- channel work
should be avoided between October 15 and April 15.
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.
2. The project be constructed in the dry to minimize sediment loss to the stream.
3. In- channel work should be avoided during the trout moratorium period of October 15 to
April 15.
4. 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.
Mailing Address: Division of Inland Fisheries • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699 -1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Hyatt Creek Stream Restoration Project Page 2 June 9, 2015
Haywood County
Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on this project. 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: Grant Ginn, Wolf Creek Engineering
Ed Williams, NC Division of Water Resources