Athens-Clarke County plans to upgrade the existing North Oconee Water Reclamation Facility by adding a head works building, clarifiers, aeration tanks, maintenance buildings and other improvements to the facility. New construction will take place within a tract that covers approximately 70 acres on the northeast side of the existing facility. Recognizing that the improvements may require a federal permit, which would require compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (as amended), Athens-Clarke County sponsored an archeological survey of the property. The survey located eight archeological sites. Six are prehistoric sites with low artifact densities, one is a small cemetery, and the other is the foundation of a nineteenth century iron foundry. The foundry remnants are considered to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Because the foundry remnants and cemetery are located within a 300 ft wide buffer zone at the eastern edge of the project area, they probably will not be affected by the proposed construction. None of the other archeological sites are significant.
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