Rio Vista and 18 Miles Southeast of Fairfield (See Figure 1 in Appendix a of This Report)
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ICF Jones & Stokes. 2009. Cultural Resources Inventory Report for the Proposed Shiloh III Project, Solano County, California. November. (ICF J&S 00051.09.) Sacramento, CA. Prepared for: enXco, San Ramon, CA. Contents Page Cultural Resources Inventory Report for the Proposed Shiloh III Project, Solano County, California ........................................................................................... 1 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................ 1 Project Description ................................................................................................................................. 1 Area of Impact ........................................................................................................................................ 2 Regulatory Setting .................................................................................................................................. 2 National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 ............................................................................... 2 California Environmental Quality Act and Cultural Resources ........................................................ 3 Environmental Setting ............................................................................................................................ 4 Cultural Setting ....................................................................................................................................... 5 Prehistoric Context .......................................................................................................................... 5 Ethnographic Context ...................................................................................................................... 6 Historic Context ............................................................................................................................... 7 Methods ............................................................................................................................................... 11 Records Search ............................................................................................................................... 12 Native American Correspondence ................................................................................................. 12 Historical Society Correspondence ................................................................................................ 13 Archaeological Inventory ............................................................................................................... 13 Architectural Inventory .................................................................................................................. 14 Results .................................................................................................................................................. 14 Archaeological Resources .............................................................................................................. 14 Architectural Resources ................................................................................................................. 14 Resource Evaluation ............................................................................................................................. 18 Criteria for Determining Historical Significance ............................................................................. 18 Architectural Evaluation ................................................................................................................ 19 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................ 24 Recommendations................................................................................................................................ 24 References Cited................................................................................................................................... 25 Appendix A Figures Appendix B Correspondence Appendix C DPR 523 Forms Cultural Resources Inventory Report for the November 2009 i Proposed Shiloh III Project, Solano County, California ICF J&S 00051.09 Table Follows Page 1 Previous Cultural Resource Studies Conducted in the Project Area and 1-Mile Buffer Area ........................................................................................................................ 12 2 Previously Recorded Archaeological Resources in the Project Area and 1-Mile Buffer Area ........................................................................................................................ 12 Acronyms and Abbreviations Amerada Amerada Petroleum Company BP before present CCR California Code of Regulations CEQA California Environmental Quality Act CHRIS California Historical Resources Inventory System CRHR California Register of Historical Resources Delta Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta DPR California Department of Parks and Recreation EIR Environmental Impact Report MW megawatts NAHC Native American Heritage Commission NHPA National Historic Preservation Act NRHP National Register of Historic Places NWIC Northwest Information Center PG&E Pacific Gas and Electric SHPO State Historic Preservation Officer USDA United States Department of Agriculture Cultural Resources Inventory Report for the November 2009 ii Proposed Shiloh III Project, Solano County, California ICF J&S 00051.09 Cultural Resources Inventory Report for the Proposed Shiloh III Project, Solano County, California Executive Summary enXco, of San Ramon, California, has retained ICF Jones & Stokes to conduct a cultural resources inventory in support of environmental permitting efforts for the proposed Shiloh III wind project in Solano County, California. This study will ultimately be used by Solano County to support its preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the project and may be used by enXco to support permitting efforts with state and federal agencies, if necessary. The cultural resources inventory for the proposed project consisted of pre-field research, coordination with interested parties, and archaeological and architectural surveys of the proposed project area. The pre-field research does not identify any previously recorded cultural resources within the project area. No archaeological resources were observed during the archaeological inventory. Architectural field surveys identified and recorded 25 buildings and structures with built environment resources. None of the built environment resources are eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR). Recommendations are provided later in this report for avoiding impacts on potentially significant cultural resources in the project area if they are discovered during project implementation. Project Description enXco proposes to install wind turbine generators in the Montezuma Hills area of Solano County, California. The project would have an installed capacity of up to approximately 168 megawatts (MW)of electrical energy production (depending on the make and model of wind turbine selected), generating electricity for distribution to customers throughout northern California. The eastern end of the proposed project is located approximately 1 mile west of Rio Vista and 18 miles southeast of Fairfield (see Figure 1 in Appendix A of this report). To achieve a nameplate generation capacity of up to 168 megawatts, enXco is proposing to install approximately 67 wind turbines, each with a rated capacity of 2.0 or 2.5 megawatts. Three turbine types are being considered for the project: Repower MM92, with a nameplate generation capacity of 2.0 megawatts. Vesta V90, with a nameplate generation capacity of 2.0 megawatts. Clipper Liberty, with a nameplate generation capacity of 2.5 megawatts. Each turbine, including the rotor blade, would be a maximum of 415 feet tall. Each tower would be a maximum of 262.5 feet tall. Six 223-foot towers might be needed to meet Travis Air Force Base Height Requirements (Shiloh Wind Partners, LLC 2009). The rotor blades would be a maximum of 304 feet in diameter. Support facilities, storage, and parking areas will also be included to provide Cultural Resources Inventory Report for the November 2009 1 Proposed Shiloh III Project, Solano County, California ICF J&S 00051.09 enXco for operational access to the projects. Physical access to the project will be by existing public roads to the edge of the project area at which point new access roads will be in the project area. The power generated by the turbines would be conveyed to a power substation by an electrical power collection system that would be installed as part of the proposed project. The system would be comprised of pad-mounted transformers, buried cables, and junction boxes. The pad-mounted transformers would be connected to each turbine by buried power cables. Junction boxes, part of the buried cable system, house cable splices and allow access to the cable. The cables would be buried between turbines and transformers and between transformers and the new substation. The general layout of the project (i.e., the preliminary conceptual site plan) is shown in Figures 2a-Figure 2c in Appendix A of this report. The Shiloh III substation would be located within the project area and would step up the