Appendix K Draft Cultural Resources Report This page left blank intentionally. Cultural Resources Consultants CULTURAL RESOURCES REPORT FOR THE SAN LUIS LOW POINT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT, MERCED AND SANTA CLARA COUNTIES, CALIFORNIA Prepared for: Christopher Park, AICP CDM Smith 2295 Gateway Oaks Drive Sacramento, California 95883 Prepared by: Lisa Holm, PhD, John Holson, MA, Marc Greenberg, MA, Mary O’Neill, BA, Elena Reese, MA, Shanna Streich, MA, Christopher Peske, BA, Edward de Haro, BA, and Josh Varkel, BA Pacific Legacy, Inc. Bay Area Division 900 Modoc Avenue Berkeley, California 94707 Project No. 3459-02 Total Current Project Area for the Lower San Felipe Intake Alternative, the Combination Alternative, the Treatment Alternative, and the San Luis Reservoir Expansion Alternative: 51,475 Acres USGS 7.5’ Topographic Quadrangle Maps: Calaveras Reservoir (1980), Crevison Peak (2015), Cupertino (1991), Los Banos Valley (2015), Mariposa Peak (2015), Pacheco Pass (1971), San Jose East (1980), San Jose West (1980), San Luis Dam (1969), and Santa Teresa Hills (1981), California December 2018 This page left blank intentionally. Confidentiality Statements Archaeological remains and historic period built environment resources can be damaged or destroyed through uncontrolled public disclosure of information regarding their location. This document contains sensitive information regarding the nature and location of cultural resources, which should not be disclosed to unauthorized persons. Information regarding the location, character or ownership of certain historic properties may be exempt from public disclosure pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act (54 USC 300101 et seq.) and the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (Public Law 96-95 and amendments). In addition, access to such information is restricted by law, pursuant to Section 6254.10 of the California State Government Code. Management Summary Management Summary As proposed by the US Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD), the San Luis Low Point Improvement Project (SLLPIP) aims to increase the quantity and reliability of water supplies to contractors and consumers dependent on the San Luis Reservoir in Merced County. On behalf of Reclamation and the SCVWD, and under contract to CDM Smith, Pacific Legacy, Inc. conducted a cultural resources investigation for the SLLPIP as it encompasses action alternatives in Merced, Santa Clara, and San Benito counties. These included the Lower San Felipe Intake Alternative, centered on the San Luis Reservoir; the Combination Alternative, encompassing 12 work locations in Santa Clara County; the Treatment Alternative, centered on an existing SCVWD facility in Santa Clara County; the San Luis Reservoir Expansion Alternative, which encompasses the San Luis Reservoir and overlaps the Lower San Felipe Intake Alternative; and the New Pacheco Reservoir Alternative, centered on the existing Pacheco Reservoir in eastern Santa Clara County extending into San Benito County. In 2017, the Combination Alternative was excluded from consideration as a part of the SLLPIP and design changes were made to the Treatment Alternative. In 2018, the extents of the San Luis Reservoir Expansion Alternative were altered, and the New Pacheco Reservoir Alternative was added to the Project. For completeness, this document describes the research efforts undertaken through 2018 for the Lower San Felipe Intake, Combination, Treatment, and San Luis Reservoir Expansion alternatives while focusing on the most current elements and extents of each. The cultural resources investigation for the New Pacheco Reservoir Alternative remains ongoing due to access and right-of-entry limitations. It is therefore discussed in a separate addendum report that will be updated as necessary (Pacific Legacy 2018). The cultural resources investigation summarized in this document was carried out in compliance with federal and state historic preservation laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act, Section 106 (54 USC 306108) of the National Historic Preservation Act (54 USC 300101 et seq.), and the California Environmental Quality Act. Archival and records searches were completed for a 0.5-mile radius surrounding the area of potential effects (APE) for the Lower San Felipe Intake Alternative and the San Luis Reservoir Expansion Alternative, while a 300-foot radius surrounding the APE for the Combination Alternative and the Treatment Alternative was examined. Contact with the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) and potential Native American stakeholders was initiated in 2012 and in 2013. An inventory survey of the Treatment Alternative APE was conducted in 2002 (Cartier 2002), while inventory surveys within the APE for the other action alternatives were conducted in 2012 and 2016. These efforts were targeted at identifying cultural i – December 2018 San Luis Low Point Improvement Project Cultural Resources Report, Merced and Santa Clara Counties, California resources that may be impacted by the SLLPIP, particularly historic properties that are listed in or may be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and/or historical resources that are listed in or may be eligible for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR). Approximately 855.5 acres within the 2,097.5-acre Lower San Felipe Intake Alternative APE were subject to inventory survey in 2012. Twenty-four cultural resources were encountered within the APE, including six previously recorded districts, archaeological sites, or built environment resources. Twelve archaeological sites or built environment resources and six isolated finds were newly identified. Two resources within the Lower San Felipe Intake Alternative APE were previously evaluated for listing in the NRHP and/or the CRHR. One is the San Luis Gonzaga Archaeological District (P-24-000489), which is listed in the NRHP and the CRHR; the other is a California Historical Landmark (CHL-829, P-24-00643), which is listed in the CRHR. The Combination Alternative APE was initially defined as a discontinuous 113- acre area surrounding 21 groundwater production wells, 18 pipeline segments, and one recharge pond. Many of these areas were excluded from consideration in 2012 after an inventory survey had been completed. The final APE for the Combination Alternative totaled just 28.5 acres and encompassed eight groundwater production wells, three pipeline segments, and one recharge pond. One previously recorded historic period site (CA-SCL-799H) was documented and excavated within the Combination Alternative APE in 1996; it was heavily disturbed by prior development and was not evaluated for listing in the NRHP or the CRHR. The site lies beneath a paved road and no traces of the resource were observed in 2012. The Treatment Alternative APE, which will involve improvements within the boundaries of an existing SCVWD water treatment plant (WTP), will encompass the 11.8-acre Santa Teresa WTP in the Santa Teresa hills. A second existing facility, the Rinconada Hills WTP, was removed from consideration in 2017, though cultural resource findings for that facility are included in this document for completeness. No cultural resources were revealed within either WTP during a 2002 inventory survey (Cartier 2002) or during a 2016 archival and records search, and thus no additional inventory survey was conducted for the alternative in 2016. The San Luis Reservoir Expansion Alternative APE, which overlaps the Lower San Felipe Intake Alternative APE, comprises 5,022 acres and nine potential disturbance areas, including the San Luis Reservoir shoreline. Approximately 4,083 acres within the San Luis Reservoir Expansion Alternative APE were subject to inventory survey between 2012 and 2016. Thirty-seven cultural resources were documented within the APE, including nine previously recorded districts, archaeological sites, or built environment resources. Nineteen archaeological sites or built environment resources and nine isolated finds were newly identified. Three resources within the San Luis Reservoir Expansion ii – December 2018 Management Summary Alternative APE have been previously evaluated for listing in the NRHP and/or the CRHR. One is the San Luis Gonzaga Archaeological District (P-24- 000489), which is noted above. Another is a prehistoric site (CA-MER-130) included in the NRHP and the CRHR that is regarded as a contributing element to the San Luis Gonzaga Archaeological District. The third comprises the B.F. Sisk Dam and its key features, which have been recommended eligible for listing in the NRHP and the CRHR as a part of a historic district (JRP 2018). Drawing on information from inventory surveys and site-specific documentary research, Pacific Legacy produced survey-level evaluations for cultural resources within the Lower San Felipe Intake Alternative APE and the San Luis Reservoir Expansion Alternative APE. Among the resources evaluated for the Lower San Felipe Intake Alternative, one prehistoric resource (CA-MER-94) is recommended eligible for listing in the NRHP and the CRHR based on findings from prior excavations; an evaluation for one resource (CA-MER-26/H, prehistoric component) remains pending further investigation; one historic period industrial site (CA-MER-492H) is recommended not eligible for individual listing in the NRHP/CRHR and is regarded as a non-contributing element of the recently defined B.F. Sisk Dam/San Luis Reservoir Historic District (JRP 2018).