20180119 Ver 2_WRC Comments_20180830

® North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
August 30, 2018
Ms. Sheila Homan
Assistant Secretary, NC DEQ
1601 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1601
SUBJECT: 339 Cold Spring Creek Road Trout Farm
Cold Spring Creek, Macon County
Dear Ms. Holman:
Per our meeting on August 17, 2018, we have reviewed Mr. Howard Brown's original application, and
his subsequent amended application. Our original comments were based on staff's understanding of Mr.
Brown's request. At our meeting, we were made aware that our assumptions were incorrect and reminded
of the 1992 memorandum on the Development of Instream Flow Criteria for New Trout Production
Facilities and 2009 DWQ clarification of that memorandum.
Based on this information and the fact that staff have not identified any significant negative impacts to
wildlife resources in the proposed bypassed reach, we withdraw our original comments and provide the
following comments on this project:
1. Due to the presence of Rainbow Trout in Cold Spring Creek, conducting instream work from
April 16 to December 31 would minimize potential impacts to trout spawning.
2. Efforts to limit sedimentation during instream and streambank construction will benefit aquatic
organisms in Cold Spring Creek.
3. Adherence to the flow criteria outlined in the 1992 memorandum, listed above, will provide
adequate protection to aquatic organisms in the bypassed reach of Cold Spring Creek.
Thank you for the opportunity to review and resubmit comments on this project. Please feel free to
contact me at 919-707-0016 if you have any questions about these comments.
Thank you,
M. Kyle Briggs, u Director
Y gg > Deputy
cc: Gordon Myers and Shannon Deaton, NCWRC