Phase I Archaeological Survey for the Oglethorpe-Rock Spring Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) Installation Project

New South Associates, Inc. (NSA) conducted a Phase I Archaeological Survey of the proposed

Oglethorpe – Rock Spring Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) Installation Project in Catoosa County,

Georgia, on behalf of Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). TVA proposes to replace approximately

10.0 kilometers (km) or 6.2 miles (mi.) of overhead ground wire (OHGW) with optical ground

wire (OPGW) on a portion of the Oglethorpe-Rock Spring 161-kilovolt (kV) Transmission Line

(TL). OPGW will be installed from Structure 12, just north of State Road 2/Battlefield Parkway,

and will continue south to the East Chickamauga, Georgia 161-kV Metering Station in Catoosa

County. Grillage surcharge, in the form of gravel or dirt, may be added to four structures along the

line; six others would be splice cases and/or have dead ends installed, and TVA would use

approximately 1.2 kilometers of access routes (ARs). Because portions of the project are located

within Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, NSA applied for and obtained a

permit (No. CHCH 2022-01) pursuant to the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA)

from the Southeast Archeological Center (SEAC).

TVA has defined the Area of Potential Effects (APE) to include the transmission line itself and all

areas where ground disturbance may occur. This archaeological survey included the 30-meter (m)

or 100-feet (ft.) width of the right-of-way (ROW) for ARs within the existing corridor, 6-meter

(20-ft.) width of ARs outside the existing corridor, and a 30x60-meter footprint around each of the

seven towers (12, 19, 20, 28, 34, 46A, and 47), plus ARs to each one. The project included

background research, pedestrian survey, metal detection survey, systematic and judgmental shovel

testing, and recommendations for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

The purpose of the survey was to identify archaeological resources within the proposed APE to

evaluate their eligibility for listing in the NRHP. The work adhered the Georgia Council of

Professional Archaeologists’ Georgia Standards and Guidelines for Archaeological Investigations

(2019). The work complied with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)

of 1966, as amended.

No previously recorded sites are in the APE. Two newly identified historic sites and one newly

identified Precontact site were recorded during this survey. One of the sites (9CT152) is located

inside of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park within the proposed AR

location for Tower 20, and the other two sites (9CT150 and 9CT151) are located outside of the

park within the proposed AR locations for Towers 34 and 19, respectively. None of these sites are

recommended as eligible for listing in the NRHP, and no further work is recommended.