E4 - Fish and Aquatic Resources

212 Pages·2012·7.01 MB·English

Yadkin-Pee Dee River Hydroelectric Project
FERC No. 2206

Progress Energy

APPLICATION FOR LICENSE

Exhibit E4
Report on Fish and Aquatic Resources

© 2006 Progress Energy
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section Title Page No.

EXHIBIT E4 - REPORT ON FISH AND AQUATIC RESOURCES.....................................1
4.0 Regulations Defining the Contents of Exhibit E4.............................................................1
4.1 Introduction.........................................................................................................3
4.2 Existing Fish and Aquatic Resources..................................................................5
4.2.1 Fish and Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Composition in Project
Waters...................................................................................................5
4.2.2 Reservoir Fish and Benthic Macroinvertebrate Populations..............17
4.2.3 Pee Dee River Resident Fish and Macroinvertebrate Populations.....36
4.2.4 Pee Dee River Diadromous Fish Populations.....................................49
4.2.5 Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species........................................64
4.3 Project Effects on Fish and Aquatic Resources................................................73
4.3.1 Reservoir Levels.................................................................................73
4.3.2 Entrainment and Survival...................................................................74
4.3.3 Project Flow Releases.........................................................................77
4.3.4 Habitat Fragmentation........................................................................81
4.3.5 Tailwaters Substrate Characterization Study......................................84
4.4 Comprehensive Plans........................................................................................86
4.5 Consultation Regarding Fish Resources...........................................................91
4.5.1 Summary of Water Quality PM&E Measures Proposed by
Resource Agencies and Other Parties.................................................93
4.6 Summary of Fish Protection, Mitigation, and Enhancement Measures............95
4.6.1 Reservoir Levels.................................................................................95
4.6.2 Instream Flows....................................................................................97
4.6.3 Diadromous Fish Restoration and Fish Passage...............................130
4.7 References.......................................................................................................133

APPENDICES

APPENDIX E4-1 - IFIM INDEX C HABITAT DURATION ANALYSIS OF PREFERRED PLAN
MINIMUM FLOWS
APPENDIX E4-2 - DIADROMOUS FISH RESTORATION IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

E4-i
LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Title Page No.

Figure E4-1 Map of Lake Tillery and the Pee Dee River below the Tillery Development
showing locations of fish and mussel species with special conservation status
listing.....................................................................................................................10
Figure E4-2 Map of Blewett Falls Lake and the Pee Dee River below the Blewett Falls
Development showing locations of fish and mussel species with special
conservation status listing......................................................................................11
Figure E4-3 Map of the Pee Dee River below the Blewett Falls Development showing
locations of fish and mussel species with special conservation status listing.......12
Figure E4-4 Length-frequency distribution of robust redhorse collected from the North
and South Carolina portions of the Pee Dee River below the Blewett Falls
Development, 2000-2005.......................................................................................13
Figure E4-5 Length-frequency distributions of Carolina redhorse collected from Lake
Tillery, the Little River, Blewett Falls Lake, and the Pee Dee River below the
Blewett Falls Development, 1999-2005 (Sample size is given for each graph).
The upper Little River is comprised of fish collected from Eury, Hurley, and
Capelsie reservoirs.................................................................................................14
Figure E4-6 Benthic macroinvertebrate taxa richness in Lake Tillery headwaters and the
Pee Dee River below the Tillery and Blewett Falls developments, 1999-2001....15
Figure E4-7 Comparison of quarterly electrofishing and gill netting reservoir-wide total
mean catch rates for the Yadkin-Pee Dee River chain of lakes, 1999-2002.
The Tillery and Blewett Falls data were averaged over two years while the
data for High Rock, Tuckertown, Narrows, and Falls were collected during
2000. Fishery data for High Rock, Tuckertown, Narrows, and Falls
reservoirs were obtained from APGI (2002).........................................................22
Figure E4-8 Percent relative abundance of selected fish taxa from cove rotenone density
(number/ha) and biomass (Kg/ha) estimates collected at Narrows Reservoir,
Lake Tillery, and Blewett Falls Lake.....................................................................24
Figure E4-9 Means and ranges of relative weight (W ) values for major fish species
r
collected from Lake Tillery during 2000 and 2002 (Note: the square and
vertical line denotes the mean, minimum, and maximum W values,
r
respectively, and sample sizes are given beside plotted values). A value of
100 represents an optimal relative weight.............................................................27
Figure E4-10 Means and ranges of relative weight (W ) values for major fish species
r
collected from Blewett Falls Lake during 1999 and 2001 (Note: the square
and vertical line denotes the mean, minimum, and maximum W values,
r
respectively, and sample sizes are given beside plotted values). A value of
100 represents an optimal relative weight.............................................................33
Figure E4-11 Number of benthic macroinvertebrate taxa and stream bioclassification scores
by month for transects located in the Pee Dee River below the Tillery
Development during 2000 (Note: Bioclassification scores were Excellent =
E4-ii
LIST OF FIGURES
(Continued)

Figure Title Page No.

5, Good = 4, Good-Fair = 3, Fair = 2, and Poor = 1). For reference to
transect location, the Tillery Dam is located at RM 216.1....................................41
Figure E4-12 Total number of collected mussels and taxa richness, including those taxa
with special conservation listing status, collected from the Pee Dee Reach
below the Tillery Development during 2004. For reference to transect
location, the Tillery Dam is located at RM 216.1..................................................42
Figure E4-13 Number of benthic macroinvertebrate taxa and stream bioclassification scores
by month for transects located from the Pee Dee River below the Blewett
Falls Development during 1999 (Note: Bioclassification scores were
Excellent = 5, Good = 4, Good-Fair = 3, Fair = 2, and Poor = 1). For
reference to transect location, the Blewett Falls Dam is located at RM 188.2......47
Figure E4-14 Number of benthic macroinvertebrate taxa and stream bioclassification scores
by month for transects located from the Pee Dee River below the Blewett
Falls Development during 2001 (Note: Bioclassification scores were
Excellent = 5, Good = 4, Good-Fair = 3, Fair = 2, and Poor = 1). For
reference to transect location, the Blewett Falls Dam is located at RM 188.2......48
Figure E4-15 Total number of collected mussels and taxa richness, including those taxa
with special conservation listing status, collected in the Pee Dee Reach below
the Blewett Falls Development during 2004. For reference to transect
location, the Blewett Falls Dam is located at RM 188.2.......................................49
Figure E4-16 Electrofishing catch rates of American shad, blueback herring, and striped
bass collected at Transect 1 (RM 188.0) in the Pee Dee River tailwaters
below the Blewett Falls Development during March-June biweekly spawning
assessments, 1998 and 1999..................................................................................50
Figure E4-17 Total pounds of American shad harvested and number of reported trips by
licensed commercial fishermen on the Pee Dee River from 1999 to 2003.
The number above each bar is the number of reported licensed commercial
fishermen................................................................................................................52
Figure E4-18 Pram electrofishing catch rates by transect for American eel collected during
shallow water fish surveys of the Pee Dee River below the Tillery and
Blewett Falls developments during May-June 2004. For reference to transect
locations, the Tillery Dam is located at RM 216.1 and the Blewett Falls Dam
is located at RM 188.2...........................................................................................53
Figure E4-19 Comparison of boat electrofishing catch rates of American shad from the Pee
Dee River (Blewett Falls tailwaters, Transect 1) and other North Carolina
coastal river systems, 1998-2004...........................................................................61
Figure E4-20 Reported commercial harvest (pounds) of American shad by licensed
fishermen from South Carolina waters, including the Pee Dee River, from
1999 to 2003..........................................................................................................62
Figure E4-21 Existing and preferred simulated discharge at Tillery Dam (0 to 16,000 cfs
scale)....................................................................................................................102
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LIST OF FIGURES
(Continued)

Figure Title Page No.

Figure E4-22 Existing and preferred simulated discharge at Tillery Dam (0 to 4,000 cfs
scale)....................................................................................................................103
Figure E4-23 Maximum, mean, median, and minimum flows - Rocky River at the
confluence of the Pee Dee river...........................................................................109
Figure E4-24 Existing and preferred simulated discharge at Blewett Falls Dam (0 to 16,000
cfs scale)..............................................................................................................112
Figure E4-25 Existing and preferred simulated discharge at Blewett Falls Dam (0 to 4,000
cfs scale)..............................................................................................................113
Figure E4-26 Flow attenuation profile at median summer flow of 4,470 cfs - six-unit block
loading.................................................................................................................115
Figure E4-27 Flow attenuation hydrographs at median summer flow of 4,470 cfs - six-unit
block loading........................................................................................................116
Figure E4-28 Flow attenuation profile at low summer flow of 1,850 cfs - three-unit block
loaded...................................................................................................................119
Figure E4-29 Flow attenuation hydrographs at low summer flow of 1,850 cfs - three-unit
block loaded.........................................................................................................120
Figure E4-30 Diadromous fish restoration time line.................................................................132

E4-iv
LIST OF TABLES

Table Title Page No.

Table E4-1 Fish taxa collected in the vicinity of the Yadkin-Pee Dee River Project
including Lake Tillery, Blewett Falls Lake, and the Pee Dee River, 1978-
2005. Note: Species with gray shading have state or federal conservation
listing status.............................................................................................................5
Table E4-2 Unionid mussels collected from the mainstem Pee Dee River and tributaries
associated with the Tillery and Blewett Falls developments, 2001-2005.............16
Table E4-3 Mean number and weight (Kg) per hour for fish collected with quarterly
electrofishing from Lake Tillery, 2000 and 2002..................................................19
Table E4-4 Mean number and weight (Kg) per 24 hours for fish collected with quarterly
gill netting from Lake Tillery, 2000 and 20021.....................................................20
Table E4-5 Fish standing crop estimates (number and weight per hectare [Kg/ha]) by
transect from cove rotenone sampling at Lake Tillery during 20001....................23
Table E4-6 Mean number and weight (Kg) per hour for fish collected with quarterly
electrofishing from Blewett Falls Lake, 1999 and 2001........................................28
Table E4-7 Mean number and weight (Kg) per 24 hours for fish collected with quarterly
experimental gill netting from Blewett Falls Lake, 1999 and 2001......................29
Table E4-8 Fish standing crop mean estimates (number and weight per hectare [Kg/ha])
from cove rotenone sampling at Blewett Falls Lake, 1999 and 2001....................30
Table E4-9 Lake Tillery aquatic habitat water level relationships...........................................35
Table E4-10 Blewett Falls Lake aquatic habitat water level relationships.................................36
Table E4-11 Mean number of fish per hour collected by transect with quarterly boat
electrofishing of the Pee Dee River below the Tillery Development, 2002..........37
Table E4-12 Characteristics of the shallow water fish community in the Pee Dee River
below the Tillery Development during 2004.........................................................39
Table E4-13 Mean number and weight (Kg) per hour for fish collected by transect with
quarterly boat electrofishing from the Pee Dee River below the Blewett Falls
Development, 1999 and 20011...............................................................................43
Table E4-14 Characteristics of the shallow water fish community in the Pee Dee River
below the Blewett Falls Development during 2004...............................................45
Table E4-15 Preliminary resource management goals identified by the North Carolina
Wildlife Resources Commission and the South Carolina Department of
Natural Resources during instream flow subgroup meetings................................86
Table E4-16 Management plans for shortnose sturgeon, robust redhorse, and South
Carolina recreational boating navigability pertinent to the Pee Dee River
Instream Flow Study..............................................................................................89
Table E4-17 Fish species and habitat guild assignment for the Pee Dee River Instream
Flow Study.............................................................................................................98
Table E4-18 Annual and monthly median accretion flows at six nodes downstream of
Blewett Falls Dam................................................................................................111

E4-v
Application for License Yadkin-Pee Dee River Hydroelectric Project
Exhibit E4 - Report on Fish and Aquatic Resources

4.0 Regulations Defining the Contents of Exhibit E4

The following excerpt from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 18 CFR § 4.51 describes the
required content of this exhibit.

(3) Report on fish, wildlife, and botanical resources. The report must discuss fish, wildlife, and
botanical resources in the vicinity of the project and the impact of the project on those
resources. The report must be prepared in consultation with any state agency with
responsibility for fish, wildlife, and botanical resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
the National Marine Fisheries Service (if the project may affect anadromous fish resources
subject to that agency’s jurisdiction), and any other state or Federal agency with managerial
authority over any part of the project lands. Consultation must be documented by appending
to the report a letter from each agency consulted that indicates the nature, extent, and
results of the consultation. The report must include:

(i) A description of the fish, wildlife, and botanical resources of the project and its
vicinity, and of downstream areas affected by the project, including identification of
any species listed as threatened or endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(See 50 CFR 17.11 and 17.12);

(ii) A description of any measures or facilities recommended by the agencies consulted
for the mitigation of impacts on fish, wildlife, and botanical resources, or for the
protection or improvement of those resources;

(iii) A statement of any existing measures or facilities to be continued or maintained and
any measures or facilities proposed by the applicant for the mitigation of impacts on
fish, wildlife, and botanical resources, or for the protection or improvement of such
resources, including an explanation of why the applicant has rejected any measures
or facilities recommended by an agency and described under paragraph (f)(3)(ii) of
this section.

(iv) A description of any anticipated continuing impact on fish, wildlife, and botanical
resources of continued operation of the project, and the incremental impact of
proposed new development of project works or changes in project operation; and
(v) The following materials and information regarding the measures and facilities
identified under paragraph (f)(3)(iii) of this section:

(A) Functional design drawings of any fish passage and collection facilities,
indicating whether the facilities depicted are existing or proposed (these
drawings must conform to the specifications of § 4.39 regarding dimensions
of full-sized prints, scale, and legibility);

(B) A description of operation and maintenance procedures for any existing or
proposed measures or facilities;

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Application for License Yadkin-Pee Dee River Hydroelectric Project
(C) An implementation or construction schedule for any proposed measures or
facilities, showing the intervals following issuance of a license when
implementation of the measures or construction of the facilities would be
commenced and completed;

(D) An estimate of the costs of construction, operation, and maintenance, of any
proposed facilities, and of implementation of any proposed measures,
including a statement of the sources and extent of financing; and

(E) A map or drawing that conforms to the size, scale, and legibility
requirements of § 4.39 showing by the use of shading, cross-hatching, or
other symbols the identity and location of any measures or facilities, and
indicating whether each measure or facility is existing or proposed (the map
or drawings in this exhibit may be consolidated).

E4-2
Application for License Yadkin-Pee Dee River Hydroelectric Project
4.1 Introduction

This Exhibit provides detailed information describing the fish and aquatic invertebrate (i.e., mussels,
crayfish, and aquatic insects) communities of the Project reservoirs and associated tailwaters and the
effects of Project operations on these aquatic resources. This information is based on aquatic
surveys conducted by Progress Energy from 1998 to 2005, most of which were performed in
accordance with study plans developed within the Water Resource Working Group (RWG) during
relicensing consultation meetings held by Progress Energy in 2003 (Progress Energy 2003, 2004).
In addition, fisheries data for native redhorse species in the Pee Dee River were available from
annual cooperative sampling from 2000 to 2005 by the Yadkin-Pee Dee Technical Work Group of
the Robust Redhorse Conservation Committee and a Progress Energy-funded study of the Carolina
redhorse by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (Carolina Power & Light [CP&L]
2000, 2001; DeMeo 2000, 2001; Robust Redhorse Conservation Commission [RRCC] Yadkin-Pee
Dee River TWG 2002a, 2002b, 2003, 2004, 2005; Starnes 2004; Starnes et al. 2005). Results from
reservoir and tailwater fisheries and mussel studies conducted by the North Carolina Wildlife
Resources Commission (NCWRC), the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources(SCDNR),
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and The Nature Conservancy were also used in the
preparation of this Exhibit (Tatum 1960; Tatum et al. 1963; Crochet and Sample 1996; Crochet and
Black 1997; Collins et al. 2003; Harland 2004a, 2004b; Alderman 2005; Nelson and Dorsey 2005;
McCord 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004; Progress Energy 2005a).

Progress Energy compiled much of the existing information on fish and other aquatic resources in its
Initial Consultation Document (ICD) issued on February 6, 2003 (Progress Energy 2003). Data
from the ICD have been summarized and included in this Exhibit. The ICD includes a review of
historical fisheries and other aquatic resource studies conducted in the Yadkin-Pee Dee River Basin,
including the Project reservoirs and tailwaters. The ICD also includes a description of sampling
locations and methods used by Progress Energy for fishery and aquatic invertebrate environmental
surveys conducted from 1998 to 2002. Methods utilized in the native redhorse surveys are described
in study plans developed by Progress Energy and the RRCC Yadkin-Pee Dee River Technical
Working Group (TWG) (CP&L 2000, 2001; RRCC Yadkin-Pee Dee River TWG 2002a, 2002b,
2003, 2004, 2005).

Ten additional aquatic resource studies were conducted during the 2003 to 2005 period in
accordance with agreed-upon study plans that were developed as part of the Water RWG
consultation meetings held during 2003 and further discussions with resource agencies in 2004 and
2005 (Progress Energy 2004). These studies were: (1) shallow water fish, crayfish, and mussel
surveys of the Pee Dee River and tributaries; (2) migratory (diadromous) fishery resource
assessments of the Pee Dee River; (3) development of a diadromous fish restoration plan,
(4) instream flow study of Project tailwaters; (5) Project effects on floodplains and floodplain
habitats/hydraulic connectivity; (6) sediment transport and tailwater substrate characterization study
at both hydroelectric developments; (7) Blewett Falls Lake shoreline aquatic habitat mapping study;
(8) desktop entrainment study of reservoir and anadromous fish; (9) lake level fluctuation effects on
reservoir aquatic habitat; and (10) habitat (population) fragmentation study of Project-associated
waters.

Study plans and Water RWG meeting minutes and supporting documentation are included in
Appendix A of this License Application. Methods pertaining to each study are described in the
E4-3
Application for License Yadkin-Pee Dee River Hydroelectric Project
individual reports. Studies with stand alone reports are included in Appendix B of this License
Application.

The study title and corresponding Water RWG issue are summarized below. The shallow water
survey was conducted in response to Water RWG Issue No. 1: “Describe current resident river
aquatic resources of project area”. The migratory (diadromous) fishery resource assessment was
conducted in response to Water RWG Issue No. 3: “Current migratory (diadromous) fishery
resources of the Yadkin-Pee Dee River in the Project area”. Results of this assessment have been
incorporated directly into this Exhibit and there is no stand alone report. Progress Energy’s
diadromous fish restoration plan was developed under Water RWG Issue No. 4: “Support
development of diadromous fish restoration plan”. Results of this work have also been incorporated
directly into this Exhibit. The instream flow study was conducted in accordance with Water RWG
Issue No. 5: “Evaluate the relationships between Project operations/hydraulics and aquatic habitat,
water quality, and fish migrations”. The floodplain hydraulic connectivity study was conducted
under Water RWG Issue No. 6: “Effect of Project on floodplains and floodplain habitats/hydraulic
connectivity”. The substrate characterization study was conducted under Water RWG Issue No. 10:
“Sediment transport”. The Blewett Falls Lake aquatic shoreline habitat mapping study was
conducted under Water RWG Issue No. 13: “Shoreline aquatic habitat mapping of Blewett Falls
Lake in support of development of a shoreline management plan”. Results of this study have been
used in the development of the shoreline management policy for Blewett Falls Lake. That
information is presented in the Blewett Falls Lake policy which is part of the license application
(Exhibit E8). The desktop entrainment study was conducted in response to Water RWG Issue No.
16: “Desk top entrainment study of reservoir and anadromous fish”. The lake level fluctuation
effects on aquatic habitat report was included under the Terrestrial RWG Issue No. 4: “Operational
effects on waterfowl habitats and wetlands”. Additional study objectives were added to this report
in June 2005 after further discussions on this issue with the NCWRC (letter from Mr. Phil Lucas,
Progress Energy to Mr. Todd Ewing, NCWRC, dated June 8, 2005). The habitat fragmentation
study was added in January 2005 at the request of the NCWRC and USFWS (Water RWG Issue
No. 18: Habitat (Population) Fragmentation Study.

This Exhibit also contains discussion of proposed protection, mitigation, and enhancement (PM&E)
measures to address Project effects on anadromous and resident fishes and aquatic
macroinvertebrates. Comprehensive Plans for fish and aquatic resources for the Yadkin and Pee Dee
rivers prepared by state and federal resource agencies responsible for environmental resource
management in waters associated with the Project in North Carolina and South Carolina are
discussed in Section 4.4 of this Exhibit (NMFS 1998; Stirratt et al. 1999, 2000a, 2000b; Beal et al.
2000; RRCC Yadkin-Pee Dee River TWG 2002c; Nichols 2003; Dorsey et al. 2005; USFWS et al.
2005; SCDNR 2004). A summary of the relicensing consultation process is also presented in this
Exhibit.

E4-4