20160294 Ver 3_WRC Comments_20170214

� North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 9
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
February 13, 2017
Mr. William Elliott
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Meadowmont Homes Expansion — Phase 3
UT to Swannanoa River, Buncombe County
Dear Mr. Elliott:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to remove an impoundment and restore 300 feet of stream on an unnamed tributary
(UT) to the Swannanoa River 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).
Project activities should not impact wild trout, and activities do not need to be avoided during the
trout moratorium. The Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, US Federal Species
of Concern, NC Special Concern) is found in the Swannanoa River downstream of the project.
This species is extremely sensitive to excessive sediment, and it is important to maintain
excellent sediment and erosion control on this project.
Incoming flows to the pond will be routed around the pond and the pond dewatered with a pump.
Sediments will be allowed to dry out for at least 10 days before the upstream and downstream
earthen dams removed. A channel will be constructed in the pond bed featuring 3:1 slopes,
geolifts on the right bank, and livestakes. A vegetated buffer of unknown width will be
established with native woody and herbaceous vegetation.
We support the removal of the impoundment and the establishment of a channel within the old
pond bed. However, we are concerned about the stability of the channel within the pond bed
sediments, and we encourage the applicant to use grade control measures such as vanes and sills
to maintain grade if needed. In addition, the old pond bed sediments outside the channel must be
quickly stabilized with temporary seed and straw.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Meadowmont Homes — Phase 3
UT Swannanoa R, Buncombe County
February 13, 2017
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to the aquatic and terrestrial
resources:
1. Special care should taken to ensure that the new constructed channel is stable over the short
and long-term; instream grade control structures may be needed.
2. Work be accomplished as quickly as possible and vigilance used in sediment and erosion
control during site preparation, construction, and clean up. Disturbed areas and pond
sediments should be seeded, mulched and/or matted as soon as possible.
3. Any erosion control matting used 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.
4. 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.
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: Mike Dale, Altamont Environmental
Zan Price and Kevin Mitchell, NC Division of Water Resources