20180468 Ver 2_WRC Comments_20190131

D North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 0
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
January 31, 2019
Mr. David Brown
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Acony Bell Community - Culvert
UT to Boylston Creek, Henderson County
Dear Mr. Brown:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to install a 40 ft culvert on an unnamed tributary (UT) of Boylston Creek in
Henderson 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).
There are wild Rainbow Trout in Boylston Creek. In -channel work should be avoided during the
period of January 1 to April 15 in order to minimize impacts to trout spawning.
It appears that much of the project area is within the 100 -year floodplain. The NCWRC does not
support commercial or residential development within the 100 -year floodplain. The filling of
floodplains increases the potential for flooding and degrades in -stream habitats for fish and other
aquatic organisms.
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. We recommend against using HDPE material, as this slick material is less likely to hold
stream substrate and provide for movement of aquatic organisms like fish and salamanders.
3. 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.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Acony Bell Community Culvert Page 2 January 31, 2019
UT Boylston Cr, Henderson County
4. Project activities should be avoided between January 1 and April 15 to avoid impacts to
Rainbow Trout spawning.
5. The plan sheets note that the crossing will be revegetated but details are not provided. We
recommend using a quick growing seed such as Wheat, Rye Grain or Oats and a permanent
native riparian seed mix. Native trees and shrubs should be planted to provide permanent
and natural bank stabilization. We also recommend supplementing the existing woody buffer
on site to achieve a native woody buffer of at least 30 ft in width.
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: Kayle Yankura, C1earWater Environmental Consultants
Andrew Moore, NC Division of Water Resources