20240174 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20240225

® North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 9
Cameron Ingram, Executive Director
February 25, 2024
Ms. Amanda Fuemmeler
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Sweetgrass
Boone Fork and Wetlands, Watauga County
Dear Ms. Fuemmeler:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to stabilize and dredge 253 ft of Boone Fork and permanently impact 0.004 acre and
temporarily impact 0.006 acre of wetland in Watauga 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 Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout in the vicinity of the project, and in -stream activities
should be avoided between October 15 and April 15 in order to minimize impacts to trout
reproduction.
The application proposes to stabilize an eroding reach of Boone Fork by installing a rock vane
and boulder revetment, sloping stream banks, and planting a riparian buffer with livestakes and
seed. Flows would be diverted around in -stream work areas with boulder coffer dams. An area of
Boone Fork at the confluence with Blue Lake would be dredged of built-up sediment.
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 nylon or 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]

Sweetgrass Page 2 February 25, 2024
Boone Fork and wetlands, Watauga Co
3. In -stream activities should be done outside the October 15 to April 15 trout moratorium to
minimize impacts to Brown Trout reproduction.
4. It appears that the planted woody buffer will be quite narrow, as only livestakes will be used.
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.
5. Impacts to the existing riparian forest on the upstream portion of the project should be
minimized as much as possible.
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
cc: Susan Cragg, Brushy Fork Environmental
Seren Homer, NC Division of Water Resources