20231276 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20231010

® North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 9
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director
October 10, 2023
Ms. Amanda Fuemmeler
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: 7 Mountain Estates
Burleson Branch and UTs, Buncombe County
Dear Ms. Fuemmeler:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to permanently impact 14 ft and temporarily impact 45 ft of Burleson Branch and an
unnamed tributary (UT), as well as permanently fill 0.007 acre of wetland for road improvements
for a future residential development 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).
Wild Rainbow Trout are present in the vicinity of the project, and in -stream activities should be
avoided from January 1 to April 15 to minimize impacts to trout reproduction.
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to the aquatic community:
1. 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.
2. Any erosion control matting used should be free of plastic or nylon 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. The application proposes using HDPE culverts at four locations. We recommend against
using smooth -walled HDPE material, as this slick material is less likely to hold stream
substrate and provide for movement of aquatic organisms like fish and salamanders.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

7 Mountain Estates Page 2 October 10, 2023
Burleson Br & UT, Buncombe County
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: Emily Tarsa, Clearwater Environmental
Andrew Moore, NC Division of Water Resources