Archeological Survey of the Proposed Norcross-Union City Underground Loop at Klondike Substation, DeKalb County, Georgia

In October 2017 Southeastern Archeological Services, Inc. conducted a Phase I archeological survey of approximately 1,300 m (4,200 ft) of 15-m (50-ft) wide corridor in which a proposed underground fiber cable will be laid around the east side of the Klondike Substation in extreme southeastern DeKalb County. About 60 percent of the corridor follows or crosses existing transmission lines, and 40 percent traverses wooded ridge slope above Crooked Creek, a tributary of South River.

Since the project area was almost entirely wooded or grass-covered, archeological survey primarily relied on shovel testing to detect sites. Shovel tests were placed in one transect along the proposed centerline, which was not marked in the field. Once a site was detected, it was investigated with more shovel tests along and within the 15-m wide corridor.

Archival research showed that no previously recorded archeological sites or former house sites existed in or close to the proposed corridor. With visual inspection and the excavation of shovel tests we located one archeological site, 9DA161, a sparse, prehistoric lithic scatter. We recommend that the portion of the site within the project corridor does not contribute to the eligibility of the site for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Thus, we recommend that the proposed undertaking, the installation of underground fiber cable, will not adversely affect a significant archeological resource. Since we did not fully investigate the site, we cannot assess the significance of the site as a whole, and thus its overall eligibility is unknown.