"Oconee Clark," A Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Proposed Telecommunications Site in Oconee County, Georgia

On March 22, 2014, a Phase I Archaeological Survey was performed of the proposed lease area and access for the Oconee Clark telecommunication facility located in Watkinsville, Georgia (UTM Zone 17, E283840/N3748081.9). The study was conducted by Terracon Consultants, Inc., on behalf of Cellco Partnership and its controlled affiliates doing business as Verizon Wireless, in order to locate and identify cultural resources, and to assess resource significance based on National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) criteria [36CFR Part 60.4 (a-d)]. This project was conducted to comply with the provisions of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) permitting under the Nationwide Programmatic Agreement (47 CFR Part 1). In accordance with the permitting process, the survey was conducted in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amended. See figures in the appendix for reference. The Phase I survey included a literature review and intensive field survey. During the literature review, which took place on March 15, 2014, state and county maps and documents were examined to determine if previously recorded cultural resources were located in or around the project area. The field survey was conducted using surface and subsurface techniques to locate and identify archeological resources within the study area. The Area of Potential Effect (APE) is defined as the lease area and access locations, which will be directly impacted by the construction of the Oconee Clark telecommunication facility. Results: Literature Review: Review of the Georgia State Site files, NRHP files, historic structure, and compliance report files at the Georgia Historic Preservation Division revealed that there were no previously recorded cultural resources within the project area APE. Cultural Resources Field Survey: There was one historic site identified (9OC429) along the northern portion of the access beginning at STP 38 and ending at STP 40R1 (Fig. 3.2). No other shovel tests were positive.