20170926 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20171024

1�1 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 0
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
October 24, 2017
Mr. William Elliott
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Elkin Raw Water System Improvements
Big Elkin Creek and UT, Surry County
Dear Mr. Elliott:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to stabilize 400 ft of Big Elkin Creek and an unnamed tributary (UT) and temporarily
impact 90 ft of Big Elkin Creek and 0.07 acre of wetland to install an emergency water line in
Surry 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 do not need to be avoided during the trout
moratorium.
The project involves the stabilization of Big Elkin Creek and a UT to protect an existing raw
water line. Stabilization of Big Elkin Creek will involve the installation of boulder toe
protection, root wads, and three rock j -hooks, which will be performed in the wet. Flows will
not be diverted away from the structure installation due to the large size of the watershed and
risks associated with coffer dam installation and stability. The UT to Big Elkin Creek will be
realigned with log sills, and this work will be done in the dry. The new emergency water line
will be installed through Big Elkin Creek via trench cut in the dry at two locations.
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to fish and wildlife:
1. Vigilance should be used in sediment and erosion control during site preparation,
construction, and clean up. Disturbed areas should be seeded, mulched and/or matted as
soon as possible, preferably at the end of each work day.
2. In order to minimize downstream sediment impacts from structure installation, work should
be accomplished during low flows as quickly as possible.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Elkin Raw Water System Improvements Page 2 October 24, 2017
Big Elkin Cr & UT, Surry County
3. Any erosion control matting used should be free of plastic or nylon mesh, as this type of
netting frequently entangles wildlife and is slow to degrade, resulting in a hazard that may
last for years.
4. The stream channel at new water line crossing locations should be restored to near pre -
disturbance conditions. Channel dimensions should mimic the existing dimensions, and the
stream bed should set be at the pre-existing elevation. At least 6-8 inches of natural bed
material should be placed on top of the restored stream channel bed; this bed material should
mimic that which is found in the stream bed. If at all possible, live stakes should be installed
on the river bank where it has been destabilized for the line crossing.
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: Ward Marotti, WK Dickson
Sue Homewood, NC Division of Water Resources
Byron Hamstead, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Kin Hodges, NCWRC