Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Level (3) Fiber Optic Line from Charlton County to Fulton County, Georgia

TRC Garrow Associates was contracted by Level (3) to carry out a Phase I archaeological survey of a proposed fiber optic cable line that extends from the Georgia-Florida border in Charlton County, Georgia, to downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The proposed corridor extends for a distance of 286.5 miles (461 km), traversing portions of Georgia's Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions. The corridor width is 10 feet (3 m). Nearly the entire length of the project corridor lies within existing transmission line corridors. There are, however, two short segments (in Charlton and Jasper counties) that follow existing roads. With the consent of Georgia's State Archaeologist, the regional archaeologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service's Heritage Program Manager for the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests, and the U.S. Forest Service archaeologist for Oconee National Forest, Level (3) planned to avoid all archaeological sites within the project corridor by using a directional borer to drill the fiber optic cable beneath all sites. Ultimately, however, Level (3) could not avoid all archaeological sites. Over the 461-km length of the project corridor, a total of 85 miles (137 km) was surveyed, or 30 percent of the project corridor. According to a scope of work agreed upon by the State Archaeologist, only selected portions of the project corridor were to be surveyed. The project corridor was divided into high- and low-probability areas for sites. High-probability areas were surveyed in their entirety using standard procedures. Among low-probability areas, a sample of 25 percent (minimally) was surveyed, often in areas contiguous to high-probability areas. Where previously recorded sites may have extended into the project corridor, survey coverage was applied, usually at a more narrow shovel test interval (10 m), unless substantial surface visibility was available. In the Oconee National Forest, however, only those sites that had been recommended as potentially eligible for the NRHP were revisited. Furthermore, all portions of the corridor in the Oconee National Forest that had not been previously surveyed were given survey coverage in the current project. Within the areas surveyed, 23 sites and 34 isolated finds were located in the project corridor. Additional cultural resources were identified outside of the project corridor, and are described in this report. Ten of the sites in the corridor were recommended as potentially eligible for the NRHP following this or a previous survey. Thus, entire project corridor contains 9 sites recommended as potentially eligible for the NRHP, 12 sites recommended not eligible, and 2 sites which could not be adequately evaluated for NRHP eligibility based on the scope of work involved in this project.