20170217 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20170330

9 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 9
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
MEMORANDUM
TO: Jean Gibby, Field Office Chief
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
FROM: Olivia Munzer
Western Piedmont Coordinator
Habitat Conservation
DATE: 30 March 2017
SUBJECT: Pre -Construction Notification for the South Mill Creek Sewer Project; Forsyth County;
DEQ Project No. 20170217.
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) and Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (48 Stat. 401, as amended; 16 U.S.C. 661-667e).
Carolina Wetland Services, Inc., on behalf of the City of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, has
submitted a Pre -Construction Notification (PCN) application for the South Mill Creek Sewer Project that
extends from Reynolda Road to near the terminus of Chinaberry Road in Winston-Salem, Forsyth
County, North Carolina. The project involves constructing approximately 20,013 linear feet of 30 -inch,
36 -inch, and 48 -inch gravity sewer mostly parallel to the existing sewer line along Mill Creek. The
proposed project would impact a total of 0.37 acre of wetlands, of which 0.292 acres are temporary, and a
total of 1,410 linear feet (If) of streams, all of which are temporary.
The proposed project runs parallel to Miller Creek and the easement will cross Mill Creek, unnamed
tributaries to Mill Creek, Clinard Lake, Crystal Lake, and Muddy Creek on 23 instances. Mill Creek is in
the Yadkin -Pee Dee River basin and it is classified as Class C stream by N.C. Division of Water
Resources (NCDWR).
We have no records of federal or state protected species within or adjacent to the proposed sewer project.
However, the lack of records from the site does not imply or confirm the absence of federal or state -listed
species or state Species of Greatest Conservation Need listed in the 2015 State Wildlife Action Plan
(http://www.ncwildlife.pW/plan); we are unaware of any protected -species surveys having occurred
within the vicinity of or in the project area. The proposed sewer easement occurs partially within the
Piedmont Land Conservancy Easement, which occurs north of Shattalon Drive. Forsyth County Open
Space occurs south of the confluence of Muddy Creek with Mill Creek.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation Division • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

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30 March 2017
South Mill Creek Sewer Project
DEQ Project No. 20170217
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to aquatic and terrestrial wildlife resources.
1. Sewer lines should be kept out of riparian buffer areas. All utility crossings should be kept to a
minimum, which includes careful routing design and the combination of utility crossings into the
same right-of-way (provided there is not a safety issue). The directional bore (installation of
utilities beneath the riverbed, avoiding impacts to the stream and buffer) stream crossing method
should be used for utility crossings wherever practicable, and the open -cut stream crossing
method should only be used when water level is low and stream flow is minimal. Manholes or
similar access structures should not be allowed within buffer areas. Stream crossings should be
near perpendicular (75° to 105°) to stream flow.
2. Maintain a minimum 100 -foot undisturbed, native, forested buffer along perennial streams, and a
minimum 50 -foot buffer along intermittent streams and wetlands for stream channels not
impacted by project construction. Forested riparian buffers provide habitat areas for aquatic and
terrestrial wildlife species and travel corridors for terrestrial wildlife. In addition, forested
riparian buffers protect water quality by stabilizing stream banks and filtering stormwater runoff.
3. Reduce the number of stream crossings to avoid or minimize impacts. After construction,
disturbed stream banks and wetlands should be restored to original contours and re -vegetated
with native plant materials.
4. Disturbed areas should be re -seeded with 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. Consider planting
native, wildflower seed mixes that will create pollinator habitat within the project boundary.
Where feasible, use woody debris and logs from corridor clearing to establish brush piles and
downed logs adjacent to the cleared right-of-way to improve habitat for wildlife.
5. Minimize corridor maintenance and prohibit mowing between April 1 and October 1 to minimize
impacts to nesting wildlife. The NCWRC recommends a maintenance schedule that incorporates
only a portion of the area — one third of the area, for example — each year instead of the entire
project every 3 or 4 years.
6. Avoid using herbicides within 100 feet of perennial streams and 50 feet of intermittent streams, or
within floodplains or wetlands associated with these streams.
7. 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.
The NCWRC encourages the applicant to consider additional measures to protect wildlife species in
developing landscapes. The NCWRC's Guidance Memorandum to Address and Mitigate Secondary and
Cumulative Impacts to Aquatic and Terrestrial Wildlife Resources and Water Quality details measures to
minimize secondary and cumulative impacts to aquatic and terrestrial wildlife resources:
LndCumulativelmpacts.pdf (August 2002). In addition, the Green Growth Toolbox
s information on nature -friendly planning:

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30 March 2017
South Mill Creek Sewer Project
DEQ Project No. 20170217
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.munzerkncwildlife.org.
ec: Sue Homewood, NCDWR
Byron Hamstead, US Fish and Wildlife Service