20161277 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20170123

Strickland, Bev
From:Leslie, Andrea J
Sent:Monday, January 23, 2017 4:40 PM
To:Brown, David W SAW
Cc:Chris Engle; Mitchell, Robert K; Byron Hamstead ([e-mail])
Subject:Dotson Branch Stream Restoration Project - NCWRC comments
Attachments:DotsonBrStreamRestoration_DotsonBr&tribs_Haywood_WRCComments.pdf
Hi David,

Attached are NCWRC’s comments on the Dotson Branch Stream Restoration Project.

Andrea

_____________________________________________
Andrea Leslie
Mountain Habitat Conservation Coordinator
NC Wildlife Resources Commission
20830 Great Smoky Mountain Expressway
Waynesville, NC 28786
828-558-6011; 828-400-4223 (cell)
www.ncwildlife.org

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1

9 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 9
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
January 23, 2017
Mr. David Brown
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Dotson Branch Stream Restoration Project
Dotson Branch and tributaries, Haywood County
Dear Mr. Brown:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to restore 11,497 feet of stream on Dotson Branch and numerous tributaries in
Haywood County. I visited the site with agency partners and the stream designer on January 18,
2017. 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).
Project activities should not impact wild trout and do not need to be avoided during the trout
moratorium.
We support this project as described, as it proposes to restore extremely unstable reaches of
stream and improve in -stream habitat. Pattern, dimension, and profile will be restored where
needed; a bankfull bench, in -stream structures, and a riparian buffer of at least 25 feet in width
will be established. Work will be completed in the dry. Cattle will be excluded from the project
reach.
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to fish and wildlife resources:
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, preferably at the end of each work day.
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.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Dotson Br Stream Restoration Page 2 January 23, 2017
Dotson Br, Haywood 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,
Andrea Leslie
Mountain Region Coordinator, Habitat Conservation Program
ec: Chris Engle, Wolf Creek Engineering
Kevin Mitchell, NC Division of Water Resources
Byron Hamstead, US Fish and Wildlife Service