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Dalton Expansion Project Final Phase I Report, Vol. 1 Addendum 2a: Bartow, Carroll, Coweta, Douglas, Gordon, Murray, Paulding and Whitfield Counties, Georgia

Report Number
14195
Year of Publication
2016
County
Abstract

This report is the consolidation of the original Dalton Expansion Project report detailing results of Phase I survey carried out between July 2014 and March 2015 (Silliman and Lewis 2015), as well as subsequent testing through October 2015 as the result of numerous planned reroutes, and gaining access to previously inaccessible portions of the corridor and workspace. The original phase I survey document was submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Georgia Historic Preservation Division (HPD) in May 2015.

The purpose of the investigation was to locate, identify, and evaluate any archaeological properties in the Area of Potential Effect (APE) of the proposed undertaking. During the phase I investigation, survey was conducted within parcels to which access was granted before the time of survey.

During the Phase I investigations, survey was conducted within parcels to which access was granted before the time of survey. In this document parcels are discussed by their Project specific parcel number, which is separate from their tax or other identification numbers. At the time of survey, 30 parcels within the survey corridor were inaccessible due to land ownership and other issues. Of these 30 parcels, 20 coincided with the APE, and accounted for a total of 2.6 miles of workspace and wider corridor. The remaining 111.4 miles (approximately 98 percent) have been accessed and surveyed for archaeological resources. A total of 189 archaeological occurrences were investigated, including 128 archaeological sites and 61 Isolated Finds (IFs) located within the project corridor (Table 1 ). All 62 IFs are considered ineligible for the NRHP, due to their extremely low potential to produce additional archaeological data. In addition, another 47 archaeological sites were identified outside the project corridor (Table 2).

This document is a final report of all Phase I archaeological survey for the Dalton Expansion Project (Project), conducted by Cardno, Inc. (Cardno) for Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Company, LLC (Transco)Survey was conducted from June 2014 through October 2015. Transco is seeking a Certificate of Public Convenience from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) pursuant to Section 7 (c) of the Natural Gas Act for the construction and operation of a 111 .7-mile natural gas pipeline (the Project) in northwestern Georgia. An initial report of archaeological survey for the Project was submitted to the Georgia Historic Preservation Division (HPD Project# HP-140603-005) and filed with Transco's FERC application in March 2015 (FERC Docket No. CP15-117-000).

Since the initial report and filing, alterations to the Project route have avoided multiple sites, and encountered new archaeological resources. This document provides an assessment of all archaeological resources initially reported to HPD and FERC, incorporating HPD comments, and all archaeological resources that have been subsequently recorded on the current FERG-filed route. Historic structures within the current route will be reported in a separate document. All archaeological sites and historic structures encountered during access road and additional workspace survey will also be reported in a separate document.

The Project consists of a new lateral pipeline, the Dalton Lateral, beginning at Transco's Compressor Station 115 in Coweta County, near Dalton, Georgia (Figure 1 ). The line would extend through eight counties in northwest Georgia to Murray County. As detailed below, the Project will consist of 111 .7 miles of new natural gas pipeline in three continuous segments (Dalton Lateral Segments 1, 2, and 3) and a new 2.0-mile natural gas lateral pipeline spur (the AGL Spur). A new compressor station and three new meter stations also will be constructed , and modifications and supplemental odorization equipment will be installed at existing facilities as part of the Project.