Cultural Resource Survey Strontia Springs Reservoir Hydroelectric Controls Upgrade Douglas County, Colorado
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Consultants in Natural Resources and the Environment Cultural Resource Survey Strontia Springs Reservoir Hydroelectric Controls Upgrade Douglas County, Colorado Prepared for Denver Water 1600 W 12th Avenue Denver, Colorado 80204 Submitted to— USDA Forest Service Pike–San Isabel National Forest 2840 Kachina Drive Pueblo, Colorado 81008 Prepared by ERO Resources Corporation 1842 Clarkson Street Denver, Colorado 80218 Written by Clive Briggs Prepared under the supervision of Sean Larmore, Principal Investigator USFS Permit No. CAN715HR USFS Project No. R2018021211004 ERO Project No. 7105 June 2018 Denver • Durango • Hotchkiss • Idaho www.eroresources.com OAHP1421 Colorado Historical Society - Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation Colorado Cultural Resource Survey Cultural Resource Survey Management Information Form I. PROJECT SIZE Total federal acres in project 0.52 Total federal acres surveyed 0.52 Total state acres in project Total state acres surveyed Total private acres in project 1.48 Total private acres surveyed 1.48 Total other acres in project Total other acres surveyed II. PROJECT LOCATION County: Douglas USGS Quad Map: Kassler PrincipalMeridian: 6th Township 7 S Range 69 W Section 21 1/4 of NW 1/4 of NW 1/4 Township 7 S Range 69 W Section 16 SE 1/4 of SW 1/4 of SW 1/4 III. SITES Resource Type Eligibility Management Recommendations Supporting Linear Archival Research Contributes to a No Further Work Preserve / Avoid Non-supporting Linear Segment Paleontological Not Eligible Need Data Prehistoric Unknown Excavate Segment Monitor Historic Eligible District Other Smithsonian Test Number 5DA26.1 X X X X (Page 1 of 1) Cultural Resource Survey Strontia Springs Reservoir Hydroelectric Controls Upgrade Douglas County, Colorado Abstract Denver Water (DW) contracted ERO Resources Corporation (ERO) to conduct a cultural resource survey for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Strontia Springs Reservoir Hydroelectric and Controls Upgrade project at the Strontia Springs Dam in Waterton Canyon on land owned by DW and the Pike– San Isabel National Forest (PSINF). The project would install a switchyard that would encompass a 50-foot by 30-foot footprint and 1,650 feet of electrical duct banks. Based on the PSINF review of a work plan submitted by ERO, the area of potential effect (APE) is the footprint of the switchyard (50 feet by 30 feet), the length of the Lower Dam Access Road between the proposed switchyard and the dam outlet works, and Waterton Canyon Road between the proposed switchyard and a gauge house; totaling about 2 acres. Because the project is located on federal lands, it is therefore an undertaking subject to compliance with Section 106 (54 U.S.C. § 306108) of the National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 300101 et seq.) (NHPA, 1966, as amended) and it’s implementing regulations under 36 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 800. One previously documented segment of the Denver, South Park & Pacific (DSP&P) Railroad (5DA22.1) is within the APE, and ERO rerecorded and expanded the segment. The DSP&P Railroad has been determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A. However, segment 5DA22.1 has been widened and improved for use as an automobile road, which has adversely affected its historic integrity and is recommended nonsupporting to the eligibility of the entire site. No further work is necessary, and ERO recommends a determination of “no historic properties affected” pursuant to 36 CFR 800.4 (d) (1) of the NHPA. c:\users\slarmore\appdata\local\microsoft\windows\temporary internet files\content.outlook\cn3zmdfe\cr report template 12012017.dotx ERO Project #7105 i ERO Resources Corporation Cultural Resource Survey Strontia Springs Reservoir Hydroelectric Controls Upgrade Douglas County, Colorado Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................................... i Project Description........................................................................................................................................ 1 Natural Environment .................................................................................................................................... 3 Cultural Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Historic Period (AD 1860 to 1968) ............................................................................................................ 4 The Development of Colorado Railroads.................................................................................................. 5 The Denver, South Park & Pacific (DSP&P) Railroad ................................................................................ 6 Strontia Springs Dam and Reservoir ......................................................................................................... 7 Methods ........................................................................................................................................................ 7 Historic Property Identification ................................................................................................................ 7 Cultural Resource Documentation ........................................................................................................... 7 Historic Period Sites .............................................................................................................................. 8 Criteria for Evaluation ............................................................................................................................... 9 File and Literature Review .......................................................................................................................... 11 Survey Results ............................................................................................................................................. 13 Resource Descriptions ............................................................................................................................ 13 5DA22.1 ............................................................................................................................................... 13 Summary and Management Recommendations ........................................................................................ 14 References Cited ......................................................................................................................................... 15 Figures Figure 1. Project location. ............................................................................................................................ 2 Figure 2. Overview of the APE showing the intersection of Waterton Canyon Road and the Lower Dam Access Road, with Strontia Springs Reservoir dam in the background; the view is to the southwest. ........ 3 Tables Table 1. Previous cultural inventories within 1 mile of the APE. ............................................................... 11 Table 2. Previously recorded cultural resources within the APE or within 1 mile or the APE. .................. 12 Appendices Appendix A Cultural Resource Location Map Appendix B OAHP Cultural Resource Documentation Forms c:\users\slarmore\appdata\local\microsoft\windows\temporary internet files\content.outlook\cn3zmdfe\cr report template 12012017.dotx ERO Project #7105 ii ERO Resources Corporation Cultural Resource Survey Strontia Springs Reservoir Hydroelectric Controls Upgrade Douglas County, Colorado June 2018 Project Description Denver Water (DW) contracted ERO Resources Corporation (ERO) to conduct a cultural resource survey for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Strontia Springs Reservoir Hydroelectric and Controls Upgrade project at the Strontia Springs Dam in Waterton Canyon on land owned by DW and the Pike– San Isabel National Forest (PSINF). The project would install a switchyard that would encompass a 50- foot (ft) by 30 ft footprint and 1,650 ft of electrical duct banks. The proposed switchyard would be located adjacent and to the southwest of the intersection of Waterton Canyon Road and the Lower Dam Access Road. Electrical duct banks would be installed underground along the Lower Dam Access Road for 1,300 ft between the switchyard and the dam outlet works, and 350 ft of electrical duct banks would be installed along Waterton Canyon Road between the proposed switchyard and an existing gauge house located on the northeast bank of the South Platte River. Because the project is located on federal lands, it is therefore an undertaking subject to compliance with Section 106 (54 U.S.C. § 306108) of the National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 300101 et seq.) (NHPA, 1966, as amended) and it’s implementing regulations under 36 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 800. Based on the PSINF review of a work plan submitted by ERO, the area of potential effect (APE) is the footprint of the switchyard (50 ft by 30 ft), the length of the Lower Dam Access Road between the proposed switchyard and the dam outlet works, and Waterton Canyon Road between the proposed switchyard and a gauge house; totaling about 2 acres. The APE is located on the Kassler 7.5-minute U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) quadrangle (Figure 1). The legal location is Township 7 South, Range 69 West, Sections 16 and 21 in the 6th Principal Meridian. ERO archaeologist Clive Briggs