Phase I Cultural Resources Assessment of the Proposed Raw Water Storage Impoundment Facility Chatham County, Georgia

In July 2012, Southeastern Archaeological Research, Inc. (SEARCH) conducted a Phase I cultural resource assessment survey of a proposed raw water impoundment facility in Chatham County, Georgia. The facility will be a mitigation feature as part of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP). The raw water impoundment facility is needed to offset potential impacts at the City of Savannah?fs water treatment plant caused by deepening the navigation channel to 47 feet. The work was performed under subcontract through CDM Smith for the US Army Corps of Engineers (Savannah District) (A-E Contract Number W91278-10-D-0026), and was conducted in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (PL 89-665; 16 USC 470), to identify the locations of historic properties to facilitate future planning efforts and to assess potential effects that this proposed undertaking may have on historic properties. Moreover, fieldwork was completed in accordance with pertinent state and federal laws and regulations, and with strict adherence to the Georgia guidelines for survey work as presented in Georgia Standards and Guidelines for Archaeological Surveys (Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists [GCPA] 2001). The study area includes approximately 92 acres, from within which a 40?]acre parcel will be selected for the construction of the proposed Raw Water Storage Impoundment Facility, as well as an approximately 3,150 meter long corridor slated for access road construction and/or improvement. There were 270 shovel tests excavated during the course of this project: 254 within the main survey parcel and 16 along the 3,150 meters of access road corridor. Significant development has occurred in the area slated for access road construction, including access infrastructure and underground utility construction. These precluded shovel test excavation in much of the area. Within the main survey parcel, shovel tests were omitted in only a few isolated areas characterized by standing water, slope in excess of 10 degrees, or modern disturbance. None of the shovel tests excavated during the course of this project produced cultural remains, and no site or archaeological occurrences were recorded. It is the opinion of SEARCH that no significant cultural resources are located in the project area and that no further work is required to satisfy the provisions of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.