Cultural Resources Inventory Report and Addendum
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APPENDIX E1 CULTURAL RESOURCES INVENTORY REPORT This page intentionally left blank CULTURAL RESOURCES INVENTORY REPORT FOR THE PROPOSED MONTEZUMA II WIND PROJECT, SOLANO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA P REPARED FOR: NextEra Energy Montezuma II Wind, LLC 700 Universe Boulevard, MS FEW/JB Juno Beach, FL 33408 Contact: Cliff Graham 561.304.5372 P REPARED BY: ICF International 630 K Street, Suite 400 Sacramento, CA 95814 Contact: Andrea Nardin 916.737.3000 August 2010 ICF International. 2010. Cultural Resources Inventory Report for the Proposed Montezuma II Wind Project, Solano County, California. August. (ICF 00336.10). Sacramento, CA. Prepared for NextEra Energy Montezuma II Wind, LLC, Juno Beach, FL. Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................ 1 Project Description ................................................................................................................................. 1 Area of Impact ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Regulatory Setting .................................................................................................................................. 3 Environmental Setting ............................................................................................................................ 4 Cultural Setting ....................................................................................................................................... 5 Methods ............................................................................................................................................... 10 Results .................................................................................................................................................. 13 Criteria for Determining Historical Significance ................................................................................... 21 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................... 27 Recommendations................................................................................................................................ 27 References Cited................................................................................................................................... 29 Appendix A Figures Appendix B Correspondence Appendix C DPR 523 Forms Cultural Resources Inventory Report for the Proposed August 2010 i Montezuma II Wind Project, Solano County, California ICF 00336.10 Acronyms and Abbreviations BP before present CCR California Code of Regulations CEQA California Environmental Quality Act County Solano County CRHR California Register of Historical Resources Delta Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta DPR California Department of Parks and Recreation GE General Electric Montezuma II Wind NextEra Energy Montezuma II Wind, LLC MW megawatt NAHC Native American Heritage Commission NRHP National Register of Historic Places NWIC Northwest Information Center PG&E Pacific Gas and Electric Company PRC Public Resources Code SMUD Sacramento Municipal Utility District USDA United States Department of Agriculture Cultural Resources Inventory Report for the Proposed August 2010 ii Montezuma II Wind Project, Solano County, California ICF 00336.10 Cultural Resources Inventory Report for the Proposed Montezuma II Wind Project, Solano County, California Executive Summary NextEra Energy Montezuma II Wind, LLC, (Montezuma II Wind) retained ICF International (ICF) (formerly ICF Jones & Stokes) to conduct a cultural resources inventory for the proposed Montezuma II Wind Project (proposed project), in the Montezuma Hills of Solano County. In 2008, ICF completed an initial inventory of the project area and submitted a draft cultural resources inventory to Montezuma II Wind. In 2010, ICF conducted a subsequent inventory after Montezuma II Wind expanded the proposed project by adding parcels to the project area. This revised report presents all cultural resources work completed for the proposed project to date. The cultural resources inventory for the proposed project consisted of prefield research, coordination with interested parties, and archaeological and architectural surveys of the proposed project area. The prefield research identified three previously documented cultural resources: one historic‐period archaeological site (P‐48‐518) and two residences with associated outbuildings (P‐ 48‐519, P‐48‐523). The field inventories identified three additional historic‐period archaeological sites (M‐1H, M‐2H, SF‐1H); three isolated artifacts (ISO‐1, ‐2, ‐3); and three additional residences, associated outbuildings, and features (APNs 0090090070, 0090110160, 0090110300, 0090110310). No architectural resources were identified on parcel 0090110090. Resource sites M‐1H, SF‐1H, P‐48‐519, P‐48‐523, Parcel 009009070, 0090110160, 0090110300, and 0090110310 all lie outside the proposed area of impact. Two sites, M‐2H and P‐48‐518, are located within the proposed area of impact. Although site M‐2H is located within the area of impact, the site is recommended not eligible for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR). Resource P‐48‐518 is also located within the proposed area of impact, but was previously evaluated as not eligible for listing in the CRHR (Environmental Science Associates 2002). Project Description NextEra Energy Montezuma Wind II, LLC, (Montezuma II Wind), of Juno Beach, Florida, proposes to install and operate 34 wind turbines in the Collinsville‐Montezuma Hills in Solano County, California (Figure 1 in Appendix A). The proposed Montezuma II Wind Project’s (proposed project’s) generation capacity is up to 85 megawatts (MW) of electrical energy production, generating renewable wind energy to the California Independent System Operator power grid. The proposed project is located approximately 6 kilometers (4 miles) south of State Route 12, east of Birds Landing Road, and west of Currie and Anderson Roads. It is bisected by Montezuma Hills Road. This report was prepared to provide information to Solano County (County) in support of a conditional use permit application for the proposed project. In order to achieve a nameplate generation capacity of up to 85 MW, which is dependent on the turbine selected, Montezuma II Wind is proposing to install either 34 General Electric (GE) 2.5 MW or 34 Siemens 2.3 MW (101) turbines, depending on model availability immediately prior to construction. Each turbine consists of three rotor blades with a rotor diameter of 100 meters (328 Revised Cultural Resources Inventory Report for the Proposed July 2010 1 Montezuma Wind II, Solano County, California ICF 00336.10 NextEra Energy Montezuma II Wind, LLC feet) on the GE model and 101 meters (331 feet) on the Siemens model, sitting on a tubular tower measuring 85 and 80 meters tall (278 and 262 feet), respectively, for GE and Siemens model, with a total height of 135.5 meters (444.5 feet) (GE model) or 130.5 meters (428 feet) (Siemens model). The proposed project would require permanent installation of the following elements: power collection system, communication lines, wind turbines, steel‐reinforced concrete foundation pads, a new substation, a grounding bed, expansion of an existing operation and maintenance building, and access service roads. Construction of temporary construction roads, a staging area, and a laydown yard would be required as well. The proposed substation would be constructed immediately north of the existing High Winds project substation and would accommodate an additional transformer and other necessary power collection equipment. The power generated by the turbines would be conveyed to the power substation by the electrical power collection system that includes pad‐mounted transformers, buried cables, and junction boxes. A new substation is necessary in order to support the higher voltage that would be generated by the turbines and connected to Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) at the Birds Landing switchyard. Operations, storage, and repairs would take place at the existing High Winds facility, located immediately adjacent to the Montezuma II Wind project area. However, it will be necessary to expand these facilities to accommodate a new 5,000‐square‐foot (465‐square‐meter) building. The existing yard will need to be expanded to accommodate the new building and additional storage for spare turbine components and operations and maintenance activities. South of Montezuma Hills Road, the enXco V wind project, composed of approximately 200 wind turbines, overlaps with the proposed project’s location. The enXco V Conditional Use Permit expires in 2016 and enXco plans to decommission the facility and remove all the wind turbines prior to that date. A portion of the enXco V wind turbines are in conflict with the proposed project. Under a pending agreement, the proponent anticipates enXco would allow Montezuma II Wind to install wind turbines on a portion of the enXco V project site and would remove and reclaim the area of the conflicting turbines before construction commences. The proposed project encompasses approximately 3,389 acres (1,371 hectares) of private land divided into 20 parcels owned by six owners. The proposed project is situated in a sparsely populated rural area of Solano County and is surrounded by