Project Overview
Between August 17 and August 21, 2020 Brockington and Associates, Inc. (Brockington) conducted a cultural resources survey of approximately 11 acres on Jekyll Island in Glynn County, Georgia. Georgia Power Company (GPC) is planning to convert the existing Jekyll Island Substation, which is a 46/12 kV facility, to a 115/25 kV substation. The proposed conversion will require the construction of a new substation and the eventual retirement of the existing facility. Two areas of interest (AOI) are currently being considered for the new substation site. Area 1 is a small peninsula of land, approximately 4.989 acres, and includes the existing Jekyll Island Substation at 20300 Riverview Drive. Area 2, located directly south of Area 1, is approximately 6.013 acres, and is separated from Area 1 by an inlet filled with water from the Jekyll River, which flows on the west side of both parcels. Figures 1 and 2 present the location of the project tract.
Survey investigations were carried out on behalf of GPC in partial fulfillment of guidelines established by Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, by personnel qualified under 36 CFR Part 61. Survey tasks were completed in accordance with criteria defined under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 (as amended) and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation-revised 36 CFR Part 800 Regulations. Background research and field survey were used to identify potentially significant resources within the project’s Area of Potential Effects (APE).
The project area is divided into two AOIs, which we refer to collectively in this report as the “project tract.” Area 1 is covered by dense stands of mature pine and hardwoods, with the exception of the current substation. The forest gives way to marsh edge lands that consist of low underbrush and palmettos. The northeast portion of the site was previously planted with pine, leaving behind evidence of deep furrows and irrigation ditches in the soil. Area 2 is bordered to the east by Riverview Drive and to the south by the Old Jekyll Island Causeway. Dense stands of mature pine and hardwoods cover the area before giving way to the marsh edge.
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