SOUTH BRANCH WIND FARM ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HERITAGE RESOURCES ASSESSMENT REPORT Report 4 of 9 March 26, 2012 South Branch Windfarm Inc. 226 ½ James Street North, Unit A Hamilton, Ontario L8R 2L3 Tel: 905-528-1747 Fax: 866-203-6516 Email: [email protected] Archaeological and Heritage South Branch Wind Farm Resources Assessment Report TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. PURPOSE ................................................................................................................................1 2. PROJECT OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................1 3. DEFINITIONS ............................................................................................................................3 4. PROTECTED PROPERTIES .......................................................................................................5 5. ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT...........................................................................................6 6. HERITAGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT...........................................................................................8 6.1. BUILT HERITAGE FEATURES............................................................................................................ 8 6.2. CULTURAL HERITAGE LANDSCAPE ................................................................................................... 9 6.3. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................................... 9 7. ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................. 11 LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1 TABLE FROM SUBSECTION 19(2) OF O. REG 359/09........................................4 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1 SOUTH BRANCH WIND FARM PROJECT LOCATION.............................................2 FIGURE 2 SOUTH BRANCH WIND FARM PROJECT LAYOUT.................................................3 LIST OF APPENDICES APPENDIX A STAGE 1 ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT REPORT APPENDIX B STAGE 1 & 2 ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT REPORT APPENDIX C HERITAGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT APPENDIX D AGENCY CONFIRMATION LETTERS March 26, 2012 i Archaeological and Heritage South Branch Wind Farm Resources Assessment Report 1. PURPOSE The South Branch Wind Farm Archaeological and Heritage Resources Assessment Report is prepared for the purpose of compliance with section 20 of Ontario Regulation 359/09, which amends the Environmental Protection Act for the Renewable Energy Approvals under Part V.0.1 of the Act. Section 20 requires consideration of impacts from the South Branch Wind Farm to archaeological resources, heritage resources and protected properties within the project area. This report provides a summary of this investigation, the potential for impacts that have been identified and, where appropriate, mitigation measures. A preliminary version of this report is made available to Aboriginal stakeholders, public stakeholders and agency stakeholders for review prior to the Renewable Energy Approval (REA) submission. This report is available online for download at www.prowind.ca and available in hard copy at select locations identified on the website and in newspaper advertisements. A final version of this report is included in the REA submission to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE). 2. PROJECT OVERVIEW Prowind Inc. (Prowind) is a Canadian wind energy developer based in Hamilton, Ontario. It is affiliated with its parent company, Prowind GmbH, based in Osnabrück, Germany. Prowind’s mandate is to create small-scale, renewable and zero-emission power generation. Prowind believes in distributed generation that has a minimum impact on the surrounding environment and landscape. The South Branch Wind Farm is a 30 MW project that will employ the use of up to 14 wind turbines generators. These wind turbines have a maximum hub height of 140 meters and a maximum rotor diameter of 118 meters. Final turbine specifications have not been established, but for the purpose of assessing the potential impact, maximum possible dimensions are utilized for the REA preparation. The operational wind farm will consist of wind turbine generators, access roads, a substation and a combination of underground and above ground cabling to connect the turbines to the substation and the substation to the feeder line. In addition, there will be a storage shed, and a designated operations and maintenance building for the life of the project. During the construction and decommissioning, there will be additional, temporary infrastructure including: 3 concrete wash ponds and a construction office trailer. The project is proposed on privately owned, agricultural land as well as municipal easements surrounding the hamlet of Brinston, Ontario. The project turbines are located March 26, 2012 1 Archaeological and Heritage South Branch Wind Farm Resources Assessment Report in two main areas. The western area is defined by properties directly on each side of Byker Road, between Dobbie Road and Branch Road to the north and Pitt Road and Sandy Creek Road to the south. Turbines in the eastern area lie on either side of County Road 16 (Brinston Road) between Oak Valley Road to the north and Cook Road to the south. Figure 1 illustrates the project location within Ontario. Figure 2 shows the project area with proposed infrastructure layout. FIGURE 1 SOUTH BRANCH WIND FARM PROJECT LOCATION March 26, 2012 2 Archaeological and Heritage South Branch Wind Farm Resources Assessment Report FIGURE 2 SOUTH BRANCH WIND FARM PROJECT LAYOUT 3. DEFINITIONS An “Archaeological Resource” is described in subsection 1(1) of O. Reg 359/09 as: “subject to subsection (2), an archaeological site or a marine archaeological site, both within the meaning of Ontario Regulation 170/04 (Definitions) made under the Ontario Heritage Act;” and “(2) For the purposes of the definition of “archaeological resource” in subsection (1), an archaeological resource is real property but does not include buildings or structures, other than ruins, burial mounds, petroglyphs and earthworks.” A “Heritage Resource” is described in subsection 1(1) of O. Reg 359/09 as: “real property that is of cultural heritage value or interest and may include a building, structure, landscape or other feature of real property” March 26, 2012 3 Archaeological and Heritage South Branch Wind Farm Resources Assessment Report Characteristics of “protected properties” are described in the table presented in subsection 19(2) of O. Reg 359/09 The table is reproduced here for reference. TABLE 1 TABLE FROM SUBSECTION 19(2) OF O. REG 359/09 Item Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Description of Property Person or body whose Type of authorization required to be submitted authorization is required 1 A property that is the subject of an Ontario Heritage Trust. Authorization to undertake any activities agreement, covenant or easement related to the renewable energy project that entered into under clause 10 (1) (b) of require the approval of the Ontario Heritage the Ontario Heritage Act. Trust pursuant to the easement or covenant. 2 A property in respect of which a notice of Municipality that gave the If, as part of the renewable energy project, the intention to designate the property to be notice. alteration of the property or the demolition or of cultural heritage value or interest has removal of a building or structure on the been given in accordance with section property is proposed, consent to alter the 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. property or demolish or remove the building or structure. 3 A property designated by a municipal by- Municipality that made If, as part of the renewable energy project, the law made under section 29 of the the by-law. alteration of the property or the demolition or Ontario Heritage Act as a property of removal of a building or structure on the cultural heritage value or interest. property is proposed, consent to alter the property or demolish or remove the building or structure. 4 A property designated by order of the Minister of Culture. If, as part of the renewable energy project, the Minister of Culture made under section alteration of the property or the demolition or 34.5 of the Ontario Heritage Act as a removal of a building or structure on the property of cultural heritage value or property is proposed, consent to alter the interest of provincial significance. property or demolish or remove the building or structure. 5 A property in respect of which a notice of Minister of Culture. If, as part of the renewable energy project, the intention to designate the property as alteration of the property or the demolition or property of cultural heritage value or removal of a building or structure on the interest of provincial significance has property is proposed, consent to alter the been given in accordance with section property or demolish or remove the building or 34.6 of the Ontario Heritage Act. structure. 6 A property that is the subject of an Municipality that entered Authorization to undertake any activities easement or a covenant entered into into the easement or related to the renewable energy project that under section 37 of the Ontario Heritage covenant require the approval of the municipality that Act. entered into the easement or covenant. 7 A property that is part of an area Municipality that made If, as part of the renewable energy project, the designated by a municipal by-law made the by-law alteration of the property or the erection, under section 41 of the Ontario