20180084 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20180205

1�1 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 0
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
February 5, 2018
Ms. Amanda Fuemmeler
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Cove Creek Stream Restoration Project
Cove Creek, Watauga County
Dear Ms. Fuemmeler:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to stabilize 2,313 ft of Cove Creek in Watauga 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 is upstream of a part of Cove Creek that is in the Watauga River
Aquatic Habitat, recognized by the NC Natural Heritage Program as significant (rated Moderate)
due to the richness of rare species it contains. The Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus
alleganiensis, US Federal Species of Concern, NC Special Concern) is found in Cove Creek
downstream of the project.
The application proposes to stabilize an eroding reach of bank through sloping the bank, creating
a bankfull bench, installing instream structures, and planting native woody and herbaceous
vegetation. Work will be done from the bank, except where instream access is necessary to
install instream structures. According to Adam Williams, during instream structure and root wad
placement, deflection rocks will be placed upstream of the work area to divert direct flows from
these areas. Work areas will be stabilized each day. We support this project, as it should address
bank erosion and reduce instream sediment.
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to the aquatic community:
1. In -channel work should be accomplished as quickly as possible and vigilance used in
sediment and erosion control during site preparation, construction, and clean up. Disturbed
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Cove Creek Stream Restoration Page 2 February 5, 2018
Cove Creek, Watauga County
areas should be seeded, mulched and/or matted as soon as possible, preferably at the end of
each work day.
2. Any erosion control matting used should be free of nylon or plastic 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. Although we have not documented the Eastern Hellbender in this section of Cove Creek, it is
possible that this species is present on site. In order to minimize impacts to this species, we
recommend avoiding large, flat rocks, which could serve as shelter rocks. If any hellbenders
are found during project construction, capture them in a bucket and move them downstream
of the project area. Please notify Lori Williams (lori.williamskncwildlife.org) if hellbenders
are found.
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
cc: Adam Williams, Brushy Fork Environmental Consulting
Sue Homewood, NC Division of Water Resources
Byron Hamstead, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Lori Williams, NCWRC