Appendix F1 – Cultural Resources Inventory and Monitoring Report for the North Haiwee Dam No
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APPENDIX F Cultural Resources Appendix F1 – Cultural Resources Inventory and Monitoring Report for the North Haiwee Dam No. 2 Project, Inyo County, California Appendix F2 – Potential Fossil Yield Classification Report This page intentionally left blank. Appendix F1 Cultural Resources Inventory and Monitoring Report for the North Haiwee Dam No. 2 Project, Inyo County, California This page intentionally left blank. REDACTED CULTURAL RESOURCES INVENTORY REPORT FOR THE NORTH HAIWEE DAM NO. 2 PROJECT, INYO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: VOLUME I: TECHNICAL REPORT Prepared by: Elena Nilsson and Russell Bevill URS Corporation 1550 Humboldt Road, Ste. 2 Chico, CA 95928 Prepared for: Bureau of Land Management Ridgecrest Field Office 300 South Richmond Boulevard Ridgecrest, CA and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power 111 N. Hope Street Los Angeles, CA January 2017 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A seismic stability evaluation report on North Haiwee Dam No. 1 (existing Dam or NHD), prepared by Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) in 2001, concluded that the existing earthfill dam, completed in 1913, could experience structural failure during a controlling maximum credible earthquake (MCE) scenario. NHD is an essential component of the Los Angeles Aqueduct (LAA) system, which transports water from the Owens Valley through North Haiwee Reservoir (NHR) and South Haiwee Reservoir (SHR) to the City of Los Angeles (City). Based on the evaluation report, the California Department of Water Resources, Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD) directed LADWP to operate NHR at a restricted maximum surface water elevation of 3,757.5 feet (ft.), to prevent an uncontrolled release of water and flooding in the event of dam failure resulting from an MCE. To resume operations of NHR, LADWP is proposing the North Haiwee Dam No. 2 Project (Project), which includes the construction of North Haiwee Dam No. 2 (new Dam or NHD2) to the north of the existing Dam to serve as a backup dam in the event NHD is damaged by an earthquake event, thereby ensuring public health and safety. The Project encompasses municipal (LADWP) and federally administered (Bureau of Land Management [BLM]) land. As a governmental agency within California, LADWP, acting as the lead agency on behalf of the City, is required to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for its direct undertaking of governmental action (CEQA Guidelines Section 15002[b]). The approval to construct on federal land is a federal action requiring compliance with the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). To comply with state and federal legislation regarding identification and protection of cultural resources, since 2002 LADWP has sponsored a number of inventory, limited testing, and/or monitoring studies to support Project- related activities. The Project’s Area of Potential Effects (APE) encompasses a one-square-mile area surrounding the existing Dam, as well as lengths of two existing road segments, including the Southern California Edison (SCE) transmission line road (SCE Road) and the LAA access road. The APE for the SCE Road includes a 2,000-foot long segment, while that of the LAA Access Road comprises a 3,000-foot long segment. Cultural resources studies conducted within the Project APE have identified a broad array of prehistoric and historic-period-era archaeological sites and isolated finds. Overall, 92 resources have been recorded, consisting of 34 archaeological sites, 3 built environment resources, and 55 isolated finds. Archaeological sites consist of 12 prehistoric, 5 historic-period, and 17 multiple component (prehistoric and historic) resources. Obsidian lithic scatters characterize most prehistoric site components, although one site contains mostly prehistoric pottery fragments. Collectively, the prehistoric components document over 6,000 years of human land use. Two deeply buried prehistoric fire hearths identified at Site CA-INY-2243/5703, both associated with the middle Holocene (Little Lake period [5950–3150 B.P)], provide some of the earliest evidence of land use within the Project APE. A small group of artifacts provides additional evidence for Little Lake period associations. Time-sensitive prehistoric artifacts noted among a majority of prehistoric components indicate continued and expanded land use during the late Holocene, beginning as early as the Newberry period (3150–1350 B.P.) and extending, although ephemerally, into the Haiwee (1350 – 650 B.P.) and Marana (650 B.P.–Historic) periods. Historic-period archaeological components largely reflect post-1910 land use, with site associations tied to construction of the First Los Angeles Aqueduct (LAA1), the existing Dam, and NHR; homesteading activities; general refuse disposal; and ore-processing activities. In addition, present within the Project APE are three built environment resources that remain in active use: the LAA, NHD, and a LADWP caretaker’s residence. Isolated find locations include prehistoric and historic-period resources. Most locations are of prehistoric origin, comprised of one to three lithic flakes and/or an isolated flaked stone tool. Historic-period isolates include small quantities of domestic debris, such as glass fragments, tin cans, and other metal, as well as a rock feature and wooden posts. National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) recommendations for the 34 archaeological sites indicate that 6 sites are NRHP-eligible, 15 sites are not eligible, and 7 sites are unevaluated for the NRHP; evaluation of 6 additional sites is in i progress. In addition to archaeological sites, two built environment resources are NRHP-eligible properties, while one other is not eligible. Additional treatment measures are recommended for six NRHP-eligible properties comprised of two built environment resources (the LAA1 and NHD) and four archaeological sites. For the LAA1 (CA-INY-4591H) and existing NHD (P-14-012173), proposed measures include Level II Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) recordation for these structures. BLM has also recommended consideration of completion of a NRHP nomination to list the LAA1 on the National Register. As currently designed, several project components would directly affect four NRHP-eligible archaeological sites: CA-INY-2243/5703, -6580, -9345, and -9347. To reduce adverse effects and mitigate the loss of significant archaeological deposits, Phase III data recovery investigations are recommended for three historic properties: CA- INY-2243/5703, -6580, and -9347. In addition, CA-INY-9345 lies within a proposed access road corridor and has the potential to be affected by road construction activities and associated laydown areas. Flag and avoidance procedures are currently planned for this site to eliminate adverse effects. Phase II evaluations previously conducted at archaeological site CA-INY-6931/7276 documented that its NRHP values exist within the historic-period LAA1 labor camp area. Although widening of access roads are proposed across the periphery of the site, such activities would not adversely affect those portions that contribute to its NRHP eligibility, precluding the need for Phase III data recovery. It is recommended, however, that a professional archaeologist monitor road-widening activities to ensure that inadvertent discoveries within these areas do not change the recommendation of no adverse effect. Site CA-INY-7816 consists of remnants of old Highway 23 and its stage road precursor that have been recorded from the NHR area to north of Cartago. The road served as the Eastern Sierra’s principal north-south route from the mid-1860s (stage road) to the early 1930s, when it was superseded by, or incorporated into – State Route 23, which was constructed through this area between 1929 and 1931. Before the 1860s, this linear feature also served as a trail that brought the earliest European American explorers to Owens Valley. This site is recommended NRHP- eligible for its contribution to the development and growth of Inyo County via a series of road developments that provided economic, social, and political developments to the region. As currently designed, Project activities will largely occur outside the road segments that comprise the recorded area of Site CA-INY-7816. Two segments, Segment K and Segment L, comprise part of a well-maintained, graded dirt road that crosses the Project Site. Although changes to this portions of this road would occur as part of the Project, such activities would not include the Segment K and Segment L areas, both of which would remain intact in their current location. No treatment measures are recommended for these two road segments, both of which lack contextual integrity, particularly with regard to aspects of design, workmanship, feeling, and materials. Sixteen resources, comprised of 15 archaeological sites and 1 built environment resource, have been assessed as not eligible for the NRHP due to their lack of informational potential. These resources include: CA-INY-2242, -6574, -6575, -6576, -6583, -6584, -6586, -6587, -6933/7278, -7615, -9343, DD-02, JA-02, JM-01/RB-01, MK-01, and RB-05. Because of their lack of research potential, no further measures are advanced for these resources. Seven archaeological sites (CA-INY-6932/7277, -7279, DD-01, DD-02, DD-04, JA-01, and RB-04) are unevaluated resources that would not be affected by project-related activities. Thus, no further measures are recommended for these resources. Finally, the NRHP evaluation of six sites, CA-INY-6577, -6578/6579, -6581, -6582, -7616, and RB-03 is currently