20190726 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20190709

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_ North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
June 28, 2019
Mr. David Brown
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Cantrell Creek Stream Enhancement
Cantrell Creek, Transylvania County
Dear Mr. Brown:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC)reviewed an
application to stabilize 1300 ft of Cantrell Creek at its confluence with the South Mills River,
directly impacting 640 ft of channel in Transylvania 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 and Brown Trout in the project vicinity, and in-stream activities
should be avoided between October 15 and April 15 to minimize impacts to trout reproduction.
The South Mills River is part of the Mills River Aquatic Habitat, a natural area rated Very High
by the NC Natural Heritage Program due to the richness of rare species it supports. The Eastern
Hellbender(Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, US Federal Species of Concern,NC Special
Concern) is present both upstream and downstream of the project in the South Mills River. Both
trout and hellbenders are especially sensitive to excess sediment, and effective erosion and
sediment control on the project is particularly important to conserve these species.
The application proposes to stabilize eroding reaches of Cantrell Creek by placing 11 log vanes,
constructing an inner berm, and constructing a debris jam within the stream. In-stream work will
be done in the dry, with a pump set up to isolate small reaches of stream as each structure is
placed. Native vegetation will be planted along the reach. Equipment will be walked in via US
Forest Service (USFS)trail from the Turkey Pen trailhead. The project will be constructed
during low flows, and it is projected to take one week if weather is dry. The construction will
have full-time oversight by USFS hydrologist, Brady Dodd.
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh,NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Cantrell Creek Stream Enhancement Page 2 June 28,2019
Cantrell Cr,Transylvania County
We support this project, as it is intended to address an eroding section of the channel and should
improve aquatic habitat.
We offer the following recommendations to minimize impacts to the aquatic community:
1. Instream work should be avoided during the trout moratorium of October 15 to April 15 to
minimize impacts to trout reproduction.
2. As Eastern Hellbenders may be downstream of the project area, we recommend that in-
stream work be completed before September 1 if possible to avoid impacts to Eastern
Hellbender breeding, nesting, and hatchling development.
3. We recommend avoiding the disturbance of large flat rocks and watching for any hellbenders
during construction. If animals are disturbed during construction, they should be captured in
a bucket and moved downstream into the South Mills River. Please notify Lori Williams
([e-mail]) if hellbenders are found.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. At the pump around areas, staff should rescue any stranded aquatic animals in dewatered
reaches.
7. Please contact Andrea Leslie ([e-mail])two weeks before project
construction so that NCWRC staff can visit the site while in construction.
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: Brady Dodd& Lorie Stroup, USFS
Kevin Mitchell,NC Division of Water Resources
Byron Hamstead, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Lori Williams,NCWRC