ARPA Report for the Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests for Sr 15 Passing Lanes, Greene County, Georgia

In August and November of 2018, and December 2019, Edwards-Pitman, Inc. (EP) conducted a Phase I archaeological survey for the proposed passing lanes project at two locations along State Route (SR) 15 in Greene and Oconee counties, Georgia (Georgia Department of Transportation [GDOT] P.I. No. 0013723). The survey work was conducted by EP for the GDOT under a contract with American Engineers, Inc. of Kennesaw, Georgia. EP’s archaeological survey was completed in accordance with GDOT’s Environmental Procedures Manual (EPM) (2013) and with the Georgia Standards and Guidelines for Archaeological Survey (GCPA 2014). The survey sought to identify and evaluate archaeological resources as it pertains to their eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

Project P.I. No. 0013723 would construct a northbound passing lane in Greene County and a southbound passing lane in Oconee County along SR 15. The GDOT survey area in Greene County would construct the northbound passing lane starting at approximately milepost (MP) 22.90 to MP 24.03 (approximately Cold Springs Road [North] to Macedonia Road) for a total length of 1.81 kilometers (km) (1.13 miles [mi]). The project would provide three 3.65-meter (m) (12-foot [ft]) lanes with 3.04 m (10 ft) rural shoulders, 1.21 m (4 ft) paved, along both sides of the roadway. Right-of-way (ROW) is proposed to vary from 30.48 to 54.86 m (100 to 180 ft). The existing ROW varies from 30.48 to 45.72 m (100 to 150 ft) and the required ROW will vary from 30.48 to 54.86 m (100 to 180 ft).

There were no design plans at the time of archaeological survey, thus the overall GDOT survey area for the proposed project includes all areas within an Environmental Survey Boundary (ESB) provided to EP by American Engineers, Inc., the project designers. The ESB measures approximately 5.34 km (3.31 mi) in length and 98 m (320 ft) in width, for a total of 61.13 hectares (ha) (151.06 acres [ac]). The ESB is designed to encompass all areas of possible/foreseeable ground disturbance as a result of the current project. When design is complete, the project’s area of potential effect (APE) will likely be smaller than the ESB that is shown. The Phase I survey was designed so that potential effects to identified resources could be evaluated in compliance with the amended Georgia Environmental Policy Act (GEPA) [Code Section 12-16-9], as applicable.

Nearly 20.23 hectares (ha) (50.7 acres [ac]) of the ESB for the proposed GDOT project crosses through United States Forest Service (USFS) lands, specifically, the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests, Oconee Ranger District, in Greene County, Georgia, which required an Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) permit. No permit number is associated with this specific document, only an internal tracking number for the project (R2018080308015.1), which was confirmed via email on April 3, 2020 after contacting USFS Oconee Ranger District archaeologist, Andrew M. Wells. This report will only discuss survey results relevant to the areas of the ESB that overlap with USFS property. The ESB/USFS property overlap is hereafter referred to as the USFS survey area. A complete Phase I Report for the project in its entirety was completed separately in accordance with GEPA.

Two sites, 9GE3722 and 9GE3724, were identified in Greene County within USFS property. Site 9GE3722 is a precontact and historic artifact scatter and is recommended as having unknown eligibility for the NRHP under Criterion D. Based on the low density or lack of artifacts recovered, and soil disturbance for this site, the portion of 9GE3722 encountered within the USFS survey area lacks significant data potential. However, because the site was not fully delineated beyond the survey boundary, the overall NRHP eligibility recommendation is unknown. No further archaeological work is recommended for the portion of 9GE3722 within the USFS survey area. If the project design should change to include areas not covered by the current survey, then additional Phase I archaeological survey would be necessary. An Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) designation and orange barrier fencing (OBF) is recommended for the portion of 9GE3722 beyond the ESB, in order to prevent any inadvertent impacts.

Site 9GE3724 is the remnants of a historic concrete bridge located on the west side of SR 15, recorded within the drainage bottom of Harris Creek. Based on the current field survey, 9GE3724 lacks additional research potential, integrity, and is unlikely to yield significant, non-redundant data regarding the history of Greene County. As the site has not been completely defined its eligibility recommendation for the NRHP under Criterion D is unknown. An ESA designation and OBF is recommended for the portion of 9GE3724 beyond the ESB, in order to prevent any inadvertent impacts.