20190796 Ver 1_WRC Comments_20190610

1�1 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 0
Gordon Myers, Executive Director
June 10, 2019
Ms. Amanda Fuemmeler
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch
151 Patton Avenue, Room 208
Asheville, North Carolina 28801-5006
SUBJECT: Mayhew River Job
South Fork New River, Ashe County
Dear Ms. Fuemmeler:
Biologists with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) reviewed an
application to stabilize 113 feet of the South Fork New River in Ashe 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. However, the South Fork New River is recognized by the NC Natural Heritage
Program as the South Fork New River Aquatic Habitat, rated Exceptional for the richness of rare
species it contains. Rare and listed species found in the river in the vicinity of the project include
Green Floater [Lasmigona subviridis, US Federal Species of Concern (FSC), NC Endangered],
Seep Mudalia (Leptoxis dilatata, NC Threatened), Eastern Hellbender [US FSC, Special Concern
(SC)], Spike (Elliptio dilatata, NC SC), and Kanawha Darter [Etheostoma kanawhae, NC
Significantly Rare (SR)]. These rare species are especially sensitive to sediment, and excellent
erosion and sediment control is essential to minimize impacts to these species.
The application proposes to stabilize an eroding reach of bank through sloping the bank, planting
native woody and herbaceous vegetation, and installing a boulder toe. A set of boulder steps
would also be installed. According to the contractor, work will be performed from the bank.
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
Mailing Address: Habitat Conservation • 1721 Mail Service Center • Raleigh, NC 27699-1721
Telephone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Mayhew Project Page 2 June 10, 2019
South Fork New River, Ashe County
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.
3. Shelter rocks potentially used by Hellbenders should be left undisturbed during construction
activities. Shelter rocks are typically large flat rocks at least a foot in diameter.
4. We recommend that a woody buffer of at least 30 feet be planted on the stream banks as
infrastructure allows in order to ensure project success.
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: Scott Grubb, Timbercreek Landscaping
Sue Homewood, NC Division of Water Resources
Byron Hamstead, US Fish and Wildlife Service