20171579 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20171219

❑ North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission ❑
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
December 19, 2017
Mr. David Brown
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Walnut Creek Aquatic Organism Passage Restoration Project
Walnut Creek, Macon County
Dear Mr. Brown:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to remove a perched box culvert and replace it with a bridge, impacting 80 ft of
Walnut Creek in Macon County. I am familiar with the site. 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 should not impact wild trout, and project activities do not need to be avoided during
the trout moratorium. However, the Cullasaja River is just downstream of the site and is part of
the Cullasaja River/Ellijay Creek Aquatic Habitat, a natural area rated High by the NC Natural
Heritage Program due to the richness of rare species it contains. In the vicinity of the site, the
river supports Eastern Hellbender (Cyptobranchus alleganiensis), Wounded Darter (Etheostoma
vulneratum), and Little Tennessee Crayfish (Cambarus georgiae), all of which are US Federal
Species of Concern and NC Special Concern. These rare species are especially sensitive to
excess sediment, and proper sediment and erosion control is essential to protect this aquatic
community.
Stream flows will be pumped around the project site, the culvert will be removed (with the
exception of exterior walls, which will be used to support the new bridge), instream structures
will be installed to stabilize the channel, and a bridge will be constructed. According to stream
designer, Andrew Bick, native live stakes will be planted at the project site.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Walnut Creek AOP Restoration Page 2 December 19, 2017
Walnut Creek, Macon County
We are supportive of this project, as this culvert is impassable to native fish and was identified as
a priority barrier for removal. 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 should be
seeded, mulched and matted as soon as possible, preferably at the end of each work day.
2. Any erosion control matting used 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.
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: Kevin Mitchell, NC Division of Water Resources
Byron Hampstead, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Scott Gregory and Andrew Bick, Wildlands Engineering
Scott Loftis, NCWRC