20181125 Ver 1 _WRCComments _20180906

ltl North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 0
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
September 6, 2018
Ms. Amanda Fuemmeler
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Paint Fork Stream Restoration
Paint Fork, Buncombe County
Dear Ms. Fuemmeler:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to stabilize 300 ft of Paint Fork in Buncombe 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 application proposes to stabilize an eroding reach of bank by realigning the channel away
from a hillslope, using instream structures such as offset boulder steps, constructed riffles and
cascades, sloping back stream banks, and planting a native woody buffer 25 -ft minimum in
width. Instream work will take place in the dry. 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
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.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Paint Fork Stream Restoration Page 2 September 6, 2018
Paint Fork, Buncombe County
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
Zan Price, NC Division of Water Resources