20171101 Ver 1_Percussive Information_20170901

ROY COOPER
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STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
August 31, 2017
Ms. Lori Beckwith, NCDOT Regulatory Project Manager
U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, NC 28801-2714
JAMES H. TROGDON, III
SECRETARY
Subject: Nationwide 3 Permit Application
Replace Bridge No. 127 on SR 1541 (Williamson Creek Road) over
Williamson Creek, Transylvania County
WBS Element No. 17BP.14.R.123
Dear Ms. Beckwith:
The North Carolina Deparhnent of Transportation (NCDOT) requests written verification to
replace the timber bridge number 127 in Transylvania County with a 3-sided (bottomless) 22'W x
3'H x 54'L reinforced concrete culvert. The culvert will be phase constructed to convey traffic
during construction. This project does not qualify for non-notification because of the combined
amount of rip rap upstream and downstream of the culvert and the rip rap that should be needed
in the culvert to stabilize the stream channel. As a bottomless structure, the natural stream bottom
will remain under the structure and thereby maintain existing aquatic organism passage.
Compensatory mitigation is not proposed for this bottomless structure.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and North Carolina Natural Heritage Program databases were
checked for records of threatened and endangered species in Transylvania County. The Carolina
Narthern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus), Appalachian Elktoe (Alasmidonta
raveneliana), Mountain Sweet Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia rubra ssp. jonesii), Small Whorled
Pogonia (Isotria medeoloides), Spreading Avens (Geum radiatum), Swamp Pink (Helonias
bullata), Virginia Spiraea (Spiraea virginiana), Rock Gnome Lichen (Gymnoderma lineare),
Northern Long-eared Bat (Myotis septentrionalis, NLEB), and Gray Bat (Myotis grisescens) are
listed as either threatened or endangered and are known from current records or anticipated to
occur in the county.
Williamson Creek is too small and cold to support Appalachian Elktoe mussels. This mussel is
known to occur in the French Broad River downstream of the bridge. However, the bridge is
over 0.5 mile upstream and the bridge replacement work should therefore not affect the river.
Mai[ingAddress: Telephone: [phone] Location:
NC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Fax: [phone] NC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Division 14 CustomerService: 1-877-368-4968 Division 14
253 Webster Road 253 Webster Road
Sylva, North Carolina 28779 Website: www.ncdot.eov Sylva, North Carolina 28779

Bridge 127, Transylvania County Page 2 August 31, 2017
Virginia Spiraea occurs along some rocky, flood-scoured riverbanks in gorges. Gravel and rock
bar habitat for this plant is not present. Swamp Pink and Mountain Sweet Pitcher Plant are found
in some wetlands in the region, but there are no wetlands in the project area.
Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel, Rock Gnome Lichen, and Spreading Avens are found in
isolated high-elevation habits, though Rock Gnome Lichen can occur at lower elevations within
deep river gorges. The project area is much too low in elevation and lacks vertical rock substrate
required by Rock Gnome Lichen.
Small Whorled Pogonia usually occurs in open, dry, deciduous woods, often second growth,
though it can occur in more varied habitats provided there is ample sunlight reaching the forest
floor. The project site is bordered by forest, but it appears unsuitable for Small Whorled Pagonia
due to a thick mid-story cover of rhododendron. The construction work should also only impact a
limited amount of forested area near to the road.
Gray bats usually roost in caves or in/on structures year-round while NLEB only winter in caves
or mines. During warm seasons NLEB usually roost on/in structures, under the shaggy bark of
live trees such as white oaks, sycamores, and hickories, or in cavities or under the loose peeling
bark of dead trees. This project should not require blasting, but it will require the removal of
approximately 12 trees, possibly some short-term (periodically over 1-2 weeks) jack-hammering
far footer construction, and demolition of an old timber bridge. There was no evidence of bats or
roosting on the bridge during the field scoping; absence of bats will be confirmed prior to
demolition. The bridge is not situated in a"red HUC" where known NLEB maternity roosts
and/or hibernacula are a concern and it is several miles from the nearest "red HUC". Therefore,
the project is consistent with Section 4(d) rule, codified at 50 C.F.R. § 17.40(0) and effective
February 16, 2016.
This project is limited in scope and habitat for listed species appears absent or far enough from
the bridge to not be affected. For these reasons and those discussed above, we recommend a"no
effect" determination for threatened and endangered species.
This project was reviewed by NCDOT's Human Environment Unit in 2013 for potential affects to
histarical architecture and archaeology. It was determined that no survey was required for either
histarical architecture or archaeology.
Impacts to Waters of the United States
Williamson Creek (DWR Class: C Tr HQW) is shown on the USGS topographic map as a
perennial stream. The channel is approximately 15 feet in width with a substrate primarily
composed of cobble, gravel and sand/silt. Williamson Creek flows approximately 0.6 mile to the
French Broad River which meets the de�nition of a Traditional Navigable Water. For these
reasons, we believe Williamson Creek is a Relatively Permanent Water and is under the
jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In order to construct the project, it will be
necessary to impact waters of the United States in the French Broad River Basin (HUC
06010105). The impacts for the replacement of Transylvania Bridge No. 127 are listed in the
table below.

Bridge 127, Transylvania County Page 3 August 31, 2017
Site No. E�sting Condition Proposed Condition Net Impact
Streambanks and Rip rap banks upstream,
Site 1 Timber Bridge under, and downstream of 125'
new bottomless culvert
Free Flowing Stream Temporary Impervious Dikes ,
Site lA and Streambanks and Flow Diversion 150
Permits Requested
NCDOT is hereby requesting authorization under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act to proceed
with the construction project outlined above. We request that Ms. Marla Chambers, Western
NCDOT Review Coordinator, with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
(NCWRC) comment directly to you concerning the 404 Nationwide Permit action. I also request
from Mr. Kevin Barnett with the North Carolina Deparhnent of Environment Quality (DEQ),
Division of Water Resources (DWR) authorization for the project under Section 401 of the Clean
Water Act.
Please contact me at [phone] or Mr. Josh Deyton, PE, at [phone] if you have any
questions about the application or project or need additional information. I greatly appreciate
your prompt attention to these requests.
Sincerely,
Dave McHenry
Division 14 Environmental Program Supervisor
Enclosures
cc: Amy Chapman, Division of Water Resources — DEQ, Raleigh
Kristi Carpenter, Division of Water Resources — DEQ, Raleigh
Kevin Barnett, Division of Water Resources — DEQ, Asheville
Marella Buncick, Biologist, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Asheville
Marla Chambers, Western NCDOT Review Coordinator, NCWRC
Joshua B. Deyton, PE, Division 14 Bridge Management Engineer, NCDOT
Reid Whitehead, Roadside Environmental Field Operations Engineer, NCDOT