Historic Properties Survey Report For the Calaveras County Water District Arnold Reach 3A Water Transmission Pipeline Replacement Project Calaveras County, California Shelly Davis-King, M.A., R.P.A. Principal Investigator, Prehistoric and Historical Archaeology Davis-King & Associates Post Office Box 10, Standard, CA 95373 with contribution by Judith Marvin Foothill Resources, Ltd. Report Prepared For: Calaveras County Water District US Department of Agriculture (Rural P.O. Box 846 Economic and Community Development San Andreas, CA 95249 Services) California Department of Transportation US Army Corps of Engineers 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents. 2 Project Summary and Findings. 3 Project Description and Location. 3 Regulatory Context. 3 Results. 4 Introduction. 5 Project Location and Description.. 5 Sources Consu.lte. d. 7 Summary of Methods and Results.. 7 Information Center Data. 7 Other Background Information. 9 Summary of Native Americans and Others Who Were Consulted.. 9 Contextual Background.. 10 Environment. 10 Ethnography. 11 Prehistory. 13 History. 14 Field Methods. 20 Study Findings. 20 Resources Located in Project APE. 20 Resources Located Near But Outside APE. 21 Conclusion and Recommendations.. 23 References Cited. 24 Maps and Figures Figure 1 Image of Blagen Mill, date unknown. Cover Figure 2 California State Map With Calaveras County Highlighted.. 5 Figure 3 USGS Dorrington 1979 indicating project location and general survey area . 6 Figure 4 Dunbar Ranch (Elliott & Company 1885:31). 15 Figure 5 Blagen Sawmil.l . 17 Figure 6 Blagen Sawmill. 18 Figure 7 Blagen Mill. 19 Figure 8 Resource Location Map. Attachment A Attachment A. 31 CHRIS Record Search Letter and Maps Native American Heritage Commission Letter Communications with Tribal Representatives DPR 523 Forms CCWD Reach 3a Pipeline Replacement Project, Calaveras County Davis-King & Associates Historic Properties Survey Report Page 2 PROJECT SUMMARY AND FINDINGS Project Description and Location Calaveras County Water District (CCWD) is proposing to replace the Reach 3A pipeline in the Ebbetts Pass water system in an unincorporated area of Calaveras County, California, near the communities of Arnold and White Pines. The existing 10-12-inch steel waterline has become outdated and needs frequent maintenance and repair. The proposed project consists of (1) replacing the existing waterline (approximately 19,250 linear feet) with another 12-inch waterline; (2) installing a few minor distribution lines off the main line to connect to existing distribution lines; and (3) constructing 16 new pressure-reducing valve stations to improve operations. Most of the new pipeline would be installed parallel to or in place of the existing pipeline, while minor new alignments would reroute the pipeline to avoid disturbance to existing utility lines, to minimize conflicts with landowners where new easements are needed, and to minimize ground disturbance in physically sensitive areas. The project area encompasses approximately 35 acres, which includes the proposed and former pipeline alignment, associated facilities, and staging areas in a corridor ranging from 50 to 320 feet between CCWD's Sawmill and Meadowmont tanks. The project corridor consists of a largely down-slope alignment of the pipeline from the Sawmill Tank to the north end of White Pines, and then generally follows Blagen Road to State Route (SR) 4, turns north on Dunbar Road, and then proceeds slightly downhill cross-country and through established residential areas to the lower (southwestern) part of Meadowmont Golf Course, now abandoned. The route then crosses SR 4 and follows an embankment to an alignment leading uphill to Meadowmont Tank. Most construction would take place in existing easements. The project would require approximately 2,080 feet of new easements along the proposed alignment. Staging areas would be located within the temporary or permanent easements acquired by CCWD, and would only occur in developed or previously disturbed areas in the project area. The tanks, and the undeveloped land in between, are found in a mixed conifer and oak forest. The area is depicted on the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Dorrington (1979) and Stanislaus (1948) quadrangles in Sections 20, 21, 29, 30, and 31 of Township 5 North, Range 15 East. Regulatory Context CCWD has applied for funding to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service (USDA RUS), and the USDA RUS, as a federal agency, is required to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) prior to authorizing the funding. In California, the USDA RUS has established a process to utilize the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to the extent practicable, to document compliance with NEPA in accordance with its Environmental Bulletin 1794A-602, California State Supplement. The USDA RUS has determined that the project would fall under a categorical exclusion. USDA RUS operates in part under a Programmatic Agreement: Programmatic Agreement Among the Rural Economic and Community Development Services, the California State Historic Preservation Officer, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Regarding the Implementation of the Rural Economic and Community Development Services’ Programs in California. A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Section 404 nationwide permit will be required for the project, and as such cultural resources investigations must comply with federal and Corps regulations. Other agencies that may have review of the project include the California Department CCWD Reach 3a Pipeline Replacement Project, Calaveras County Davis-King & Associates Historic Properties Survey Report Page 3 of Transportation (Caltrans), since the project transects existing SR 4, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (CalFire) may also review a portion of the document since the Meadowmont Tank is located adjacent to parcels overseen by that agency. With the receipt of federal funds from USDA RUS, federal permitting from the Corps, and the potential for permitting from Caltrans, the work must comply with federal laws, including federal historic preservation laws, making the work described below subject to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Compliance with NHPA is a component of compliance with NEPA. Since the project is located partially on Caltrans/State land it must also comply with CEQA. Davis-King & Associates (DKA) was contracted with CCWD to provide cultural resources services for project compliance as they pertain to historic properties/historical resources/cultural resources. Results The purpose of this Historic Properties Survey Report (HPSR) is to assist with project compliance for CCWD, USDA RUS, the Corps, Caltrans, and CalFire with respect to NHPA Section 106 and the implementing regulations of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) as they pertain to federal undertakings and their impacts on historic properties, and the guidelines for historical resources with respect to CEQA. Federal agencies will need to consult with the State Office of Historic Preservation (SHPO) as part of the Section 106 process. Shelly Davis-King, of DKA, conducted the work and prepared this HPSR to describe the methods and results of the background research and the cultural resources survey within a proposed Area of Potential Effects (APE), and to discuss the results of the investigation. The APE for this project was defined to include the existing tanks, the alignment and water line easements between the tanks, the proposed new connections in the area of Meadowmont Golf Course, access roads, and construction areas. The entire APE and a larger Study Area were investigated by the author and a Native American representative, with positive results for both archaeological and built- environment resources. Native American Tribes were consulted, and one Tribe participated in the field investigations. Two tribes provided written documentation that they have no concerns about the project. The other tribes did not provide a response to written or telephone inquiries. Five resources were identified in the project study area. Three of these, a sawmill, a reservoir, and a historic flume, are located immediately adjacent to but outside the project APE. The sawmill and flume had been previously recorded, while the reservoir is newly recorded with the record included as an attachment to this report. One of the resources, a historic road has been dramatically compromised, has no historic integrity, and is considered ineligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as discussed herein. The final resource, a small bridge, is located within the APE, is treated as potentially eligible for listing in the NRHP, but will not receive any project effects. Thus, it is recommended that there are no historic properties affected in the project APE. It is the policy of the state and federal governments to avoid impacts to cultural resources whenever possible. If buried cultural materials are encountered during construction, it is the state and federal policy that work stop in that area until a qualified archaeologist can evaluate the nature and significance of the find. Additional survey will be required if the project changes to include areas not previously surveyed. If human remains are unearthed during construction, State Health and Safety Code Section 7050.5 states that no further disturbance shall occur until the County Coroner has made the necessary findings