Transco-Dalton Pipeline Expansion Project, Taff Reroute Archaeological Survey Report, FERC Docket No. CP15-117-000, HP-140603-005

Cardno, Inc. (Cardno) is submitting this letter as part of the Dalton Expansion Project, in northwestern Georgia. This letter details Cardno's findings and management recommendations specifically for a previously unsurveyed reroute in Bartow County, Georgia. This proposed reroute, designated here as the Taff Reroute, was initiated due to a landowner request (Figure 1). Approximately 80 percent of this reroute had previously been surveyed, with survey permission rescinded by the landowner before Phase I investigations could be completed. Once access was granted, archaeological investigations were completed on December 9 and 10, 2016. The Taff Reroute is located in southern Bartow County, approximately 2.2 kilometers (km) northwest of the Stilesboro community and 13.8 km southwest of Cartersville, Georgia. Old Hardin Bridge Road lies on the southwestern margin of the reroute and Atwood Road extends along the northern boundary of the reroute. The general environment is best described as rural and the land encompassing the reroute is a mix of residential, agricultural, and forested land (Figure 2). After access was granted to the remaining parcels for the Taff Reroute, the entirety of the proposed APE was subjected to Phase I archaeological survey by Cardno field archaeologists. Cardno's survey of the proposed Anderson tract did not reveal any evidence of cultural remains in either surface or subsurface contexts. Additionally, no nearby archaeological sites recommended eligible for the NRHP will be directly impacted by construction. Due to the complete absence of archaeological remains and lack of direct impacts to nearby archaeological resources, Cardno recommends archaeological clearance for the Taff Reroute for construction activity.