20170591 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20170522

� North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 9
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
May 22, 2017
Mr. David Brown
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Duke Energy — Horseshoe — Capps 44 kV Line Rebuild Project
Wetlands in the upper French Broad River Basin, Henderson County
Dear Mr. Brown:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application for impacts to wetlands associated with the replacement of transmission wiring and
structures along a 2.5 -mile maintained right-of-way in Henderson 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).
The project will involve permanent impacts to 0.01 acre of wetland and temporary impacts to
0.32 acre of wetland associated with the installation of new poles. Temporary impacts would be
due to the placement of temporary work matting; after work is complete, the matting will be
removed.
Th project may also involve the replacement of existing culverts with culverts of the same size
and material. Streambanks will be sloped, matted, and seeded with native vegetation. The
project should not impact trout and a trout moratorium does not need to be observed.
According to Will Metcalf with Duke Energy, any woody vegetation within 50 feet of a stream or
wetland will be hand cleared. Woody vegetation would be cut to no less than 6 -inches above
ground.
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 near
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Duke E Horseshoe Capps 44 kV Line Page 2 May 22, 2017
Various wetlands, Henderson County
wetlands and streams should be seeded, mulched and matted as soon as possible, preferably
at the end of each work day.
2. Any erosion control matting used near streams and wetlands 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.
3. We recommend that woody vegetation within riparian areas be cut to allow shrubs and trees
of a greater height to remain. Shrubs and trees of even 4-8 feet in height can provide some
stream shading, bank stability, and wildlife habitat.
4. A native wetland seed mix should be planted in impacted wetland areas.
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: Will Metcalfe, Duke Energy
Andrew Moore, NC Division of Water Resources
Byron Hamstead, US Fish and Wildlife Service