20181053 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20180809

1�1 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 0
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
August 9, 2018
Mr. David Brown
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Ivy River Enhancement
Ivy River, Madison County
Dear Mr. Brown:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to stabilize 130 feet of the Ivy River in Madison 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. However, downstream of the site, the Ivy River is recognized by the NC Natural
Heritage Program as part of the Lower French Broad River Aquatic Habitat, rated Exceptional
for the richness of rare species it contains. Rare and listed species found in the river in the
vicinity of the project include the Eastern Spiny Softshell (Apalone spinifera spinifera, US
Federal Species of Concern, NC Special Concern) and Stonecat (Noturus flavus, NC
Endangered).
The application proposes to stabilize an eroding reach of bank by installing a boulder vane and
grading back a bank, installing river cobble toe protection, and planting a 30 -ft wide buffer of
native woody and herbaceous vegetation. The rock vane will be constructed in the wet during
low flows and the thalweg diverted from the work area. 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]

Ivy R Enhancement Page 2 August 9, 2018
Ivy River, Madison 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.
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: Greg Jennings, Jennings Environmental
Andrew Moore, NC Division of Water Resources
Byron Hamstead, US Fish and Wildlife Service