20181489 Ver 1_WRCComments_20181121

9 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 0
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
November 21, 2018
Ms. Amanda Fuemmeler
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Fisher River Stream Restoration
Fisher River and UT, Surry County
Dear Ms. Fuemmeler:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to stabilize 1700 ft of the Fisher River and an unnamed tributary (UT) 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 application proposes to stabilize eroding reaches of the Fisher River with boulder toe
revetment, rock vanes, bank sloping, and geolifts. An UT to the Fisher River will be stabilized
with some channel realignment, bank sloping, boulder steps, toe wood, log rollers, and
constructed riffles. A riparian buffer of approximately 50 ft will be planted in native vegetation
throughout the project. 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]

Fisher River Stream Restoration Page 2 November 21, 2018
Fisher River, Surry County
3. Where instream work will not be performed in the dry, we recommend diverting flows
around the work areas with coffer dams or another mechanism.
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: Jake Byers, Michael Baker Engineering
Sue Homewood, NC Division of Water Resources