20080880 Ver 1_Public Comments_20080730 (6)

High Cliffs at Carolinas, Corps Action ID #200701619
Subject: High Cliffs at Carolinas, Corps Action ID #200701619
From: Gray Hauser <[e-mail]>
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:31:16 -0400
To: Cyndi Karoly <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
To: Cyndi Karoly, Division of Water Quality
Lori Beckwith, c/o Elizabeth Porter, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
I have received a trout waiver request for the subject golf course in Buncombe County. It involves
over 6000 feet of piping of trout streams and extensive clearing of stream buffers.
I understand from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission staff and the application that the streams
host native brook trout.
It appears to me that a good bit of the piping could be avoided by doing some hand clearing of the
canopy trees, and leaving the shrub layer, notably on Holes 4, 7, 11, 12 and 18. It usually works to
play over the shrub layer when the stream crossing is near and downhill of the tee boxes. I also don't
see why streams have to be piped for the practice areas identified as Site 2 and 12. Practice areas do
not depend on a critical alignment. I do not consider the proposed application to have adequately
avoided and minimized impacts. Even the play overs on Holes 6 and 9 are at oblique angles that
maximize the linear feet of stream buffer impact.
I do not regard the "buffer preservation" proposed as mitigation as adequate. The buffers should
extend at least 50 feet on each side of the stream, and of course be placed in a conservation easement.
Please consider my comments concerning the subject application for the 404 permit and 401
certification.
T. Gray Hauser, Jr., P.E.
State Sedimentation Specialist
Division of Land Resources, Land Quality Section
N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources
1612 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1612
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
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