Archaeological Survey of a Proposed Boat Ramp at Chattahoochee Park, City of Chattahoochee Hills, Fulton County, Georgia

The City of Chattahoochee Hills, in southern Fulton County, wishes to construct a boat ramp into the Chattahoochee River from the 16-ac Chattahoochee Park that is owned by the City. The Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources agreed to construct the ramp on a 1.325-ac parcel that they lease from the City. An archaeologist from the Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Natural Resources conducted a reconnaissance-level archaeological survey of the parcel in January 2019, which included the excavation of four shovel tests, and concluded that the area did not contain significant (eligible for the National Register of Historic Places) archaeological resources. A federally recognized tribe that was a consulting party in the planning process felt the survey was inadequate and requested that a standard Phase I archaeological survey be conducted. Southeastern Archeological Services (SAS) was contracted by the Wildlife Resources Division to conduct that survey on August 13, 2019. Prior to the fieldwork archival research by SAS showed that no previously recorded sites and no historic structures were recorded in the project parcel. Eight shovel tests were excavated throughout the project parcel, with six placed in the area of primary effect, the footprint of the boat ramp. One shovel test yielded a single quartz flake in a 90-cm thick drape of fine sand that is almost certainly historic period alluvium. This isolated artifact does not qualify as an archaeological site and by definition is not eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. We recommend that the project parcel has been adequately surveyed and does not contain significant archaeological resources. Therefore, it is our recommendation that the project be granted clearance to proceed.