20150088 Ver 2_WRC Comments_20190507

ltl North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 0
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
May 7, 2019
Ms. Amanda Fuemmeler
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Asheville Airport Apron Expansion
Wetland and UTs to French Broad River, Buncombe County
SAW -2018-00173
Dear Ms. Fuemmeler:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed the
individual 404 permit application for the Asheville Airport Apron Expansion project, which
would impact 0.22 acre of wetland and 467 ft of two unnamed tributaries (UTs) to the French
Broad River (or Cane Creek) 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).
This site drains to the French Broad River, which supports Blotched Chub (Erimystax insignis,
NC Significantly Rare). Wild trout reproduction should not be impacted by the project, and a
trout moratorium is not needed.
The Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority proposes to extend an existing terminal apron
to accommodate aircraft parking, which will involve culverting 467 ft of unnamed tributaries to
the French Broad River (or Cane Creek) and filling 0.22 acre of wetland. Although both the
streams and the wetland rate out low with NCSAM and NCWAM, we recommend that a ratio of
at least 1.5:1 be used to mitigate for these impacts.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Asheville Airport Apron Expansion Page 2
Wetland & UTs to French Broad, Buncombe County
May 7, 2019
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: Anna Priest, Clearwater Environmental
Zan Price & Sue Homewood, NC Division of Water Resources
Byron Hamstead, US Fish and Wildlife Service