Intensive Cultural Resources Survey of Georgia Power Company's System Improvements on Upatoi Creek, Fort Benning, Georgia

Southeastern Archeological Services, Inc. contracted with Georgia Power Company to conduct an intensive cultural resources survey of a small section of two transmission lines on the Fort Benning military reservation in Chattahoochee County, Georgia. Georgia Power plans to install four new structures to support the transmission lines where they cross Upatoi Creek (Figure 1). Two structures are to be built on either side of the creek. In addition to installing four new structures, Georgia Power plans to construct a maintenance/access road on the north side of the creek from an existing utility road to service the transmission line. The two lines parallel each other as they cross Fort Benning Boulevard and then split just before crossing to the south side of Upatoi Creek. The Right-of-Way (ROW) on the north side of the creek widens at the point where the line splits. On the south side of the creek the two transmission lines have separate ROWs. On the north side of Upatoi Creek the areas to be impacted include approximately 400 feet of existing ROW where two new transmission line structures are to be installed, and a wooded area to the east of the existing line where a maintenance/access road will be built connecting the ROW with a paved utility road (Figure 2). One of the proposed new structures will support the main transmission line (115 kv) and will be located near the edge of the creek. Another structure will support the other transmission line at the point where it splits from the main line. The proposed maintenance/access road will be approximately 650 feet long, located near the creek levee on high ground. It will begin near the end of a utility road that provides access to a pumping station, come down a steep slope, and then travel across an area of higher ground near the levee (Figure 4). On the south side of Upatoi Creek the areas to be impacted include approximately 300 feet of existing ROW on the both transmission lines (Figure 3). Two new transmission line structures are to be installed very near the creek, one for each line. In addition to the impacts at the locations of the new structures, there will be impacts along the existing maintenance roads providing access to the new structures. Some of this will include grading and installation of culverts across small drainages. Ile survey was conducted by two archeologists on June 6-8, 1990. Deep tests were excavated at 20-30 m intervals in the areas to be impacted. No historic properties or artifacts were found. It is the opinion of the principal investigator that no historic properties or cultural resources will be impacted by the proposed project, and that, as regarding historic properties, the project should be given clearance to proceed.