Athens-Clarke County plans to upgrade the existing Middle Oconee Water Reclamation Facility by constructing additional treatment units, a chemical storage building and other improvements to the facility. New construction will take place within a tract that covers approximately 4.8 acres on the east side of the existing facility. Recognizing that the improvements may require a federal permit, which would require compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (as amended), Athens-Clarke County sponsored an archeological survey of the property. The survey located one archeological site dating to the late prehistoric period (ca. A.D. 1550 - 1650). Possibly two-thirds of the site was destroyed during the construction of the existing sewage treatment plant in the 1960s. The archeological work further established that the remainder of the site has been disturbed by cultivation, erosion, and construction of agricultural terraces. As a result, the site has poor integrity and is therefore recommended ineligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. No additional study should be necessary.
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