20161103 Ver 1_More Info Received - Email_20170120

9 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 9
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
MEMORANDUM
TO: Sheri Montalvo
NC Department of Water Resources
401 & Buffer Permitting Unit
FROM: Olivia Munzer
Western Piedmont Coordinator
Habitat Conservation
DATE: January 20, 2017
SUBJECT: Pre -Construction Notification for the Charlestown Square Stream Relocation; Guilford
County; DEQ Project No. 20161103.
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) have reviewed the subject
document. Comments are provided in accordance with provisions of the Clean Water Act of 1977 (as
amended), Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (48 Stat. 401, as amended; 16 U.S.C. 661-667e), 16 U.S.C.
661-667d), North Carolina General Statutes (G.S. 113-131 et seq.), and North Carolina Administrative
Code 15A NCAC 101.0102.
On behalf of the Charlestown Square Home Owners Association, Westcott, Small & Associates, PLLC
has submitted a Pre -Construction Notification (PCN) application for approximately 145 feet of impacts to
an unnamed tributary of Long Branch in Greensboro, Guilford County, North Carolina. The project
involves the removal of accumulated sediment in 25 feet of the channel, the layback of slopes from
vertical, and the relocation of 70 feet of channel that is heavily eroded. According to the PCN
application, the channel will be reconstructed to the appropriate morphology, rip -rap will be used to
stabilize 50 feet of the streambank, and the bottom of the new channel will remain natural. Live stakes
and canopy trees will be installed in several locations along the stream. The old channel will be filled.
The unnamed tributary to Long Creek occurs within the Cape Fear River basin. Long Branch is classified
as a Water Supply IV and Critical Area stream by N.C. Division of Water Resources (NCDWR), and it is
designated as a Critical Supply Watershed subject to a Nutrient Management Strategy specified in 15A
NCAC 2B.0248. We have no records of any state rare or listed species on or adjacent to the proposed
project.
We do not object to the project; however, we offer the following recommendations to achieve project
success and minimize impacts to aquatic and terrestrial wildlife resources.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation Division • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Page 2
January 20, 2017
Charlestown Square Stream Relocation
DEQ Project No. 20161103
1. Consider using state-of-the-art natural channel design and restoration techniques. We
prefer natural materials such as coir fiber rolls, biodegradable erosion -control blankets,
and vegetation instead of rip -rap where practical. If rip -rap is required, it should be
placed above normal bankfull. Long-term stabilization can be accomplished using native
plants such as red maple, black willow, sycamore, river birch, silky dogwood, and other
native woody species.
2. Disturbed areas should be re -seeded with native seed mixtures that are beneficial to
wildlife. Avoid fescue -based mixtures because fescue is invasive and provides little
benefit to wildlife. Native, annual small grains appropriate for the season are preferred
and recommended.
3. Sediment and erosion control measures should be installed prior to any land -disturbing
activity. The use of biodegradable and wildlife -friendly sediment and erosion control
devices is strongly recommended. Silt fencing, fiber rolls and/or other products should
have loose -weave netting that is made of natural fiber materials with movable joints
between the vertical and horizontal twines. Silt fencing that has been reinforced with
plastic or metal mesh should be avoided as it impedes the movement of terrestrial wildlife
species. Excessive silt and sediment loads can have detrimental effects on aquatic
resources including destruction of spawning habitat, suffocation of eggs, and clogging of
gills.
4. In areas with > 10% imperviousness, runoff infiltration decreases, thereby increasing the
volume and speed of stormwater entering into natural conveyance systems. Uncontrolled
stormwater causes an increase in sediment transport and channel erosion, and reduces
bank stability. Therefore, we recommend a review of stormwater management of the
adjacent developments and implementing stormwater control measures that mimic a more
natural hydrograph. Stormwater should not directly discharge into the stream channel.
Onsite retrofitting can include reconfiguring the plumbing (e.g., outfall and inlet) and
redirecting the stormwater into treatment areas (e.g., grassy swale or detention pond).
5. Where feasible along the relocated and undisturbed stream segments, we recommend
establishing or maintaining a 100 -foot undisturbed, native forested buffer along each side
of perennial streams and 50 -foot undisturbed, native forested buffer along each side of
intermittent streams. Riparian buffers provide habitat areas for aquatic and terrestrial
wildlife species and travel corridors for terrestrial wildlife. In addition, riparian buffers
protect water quality by stabilizing stream banks and filtering stormwater runoff.
6. Monitoring is recommended to ensure successful channel and bank stabilization and
vegetation growth. Invasive species control should occur regularly, including prior to
construction if present. Invasive species outcompete native plants and provide minimal
benefit to wildlife. Monitoring the site should occur once per year during the growing
season for three years or three bankfull events.
Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on this project. If I can be of further
assistance, please contact me at [phone] or olivia.munzer c(r�,,ncwildlife.org.
ec: David Bailey, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers