Article Title

Cultural Resources Surveys Conducted during August 2015 Central Eagle Ford Zone Gonzales, De Witt, Karnes, and Wilson Counties

Authors

Phil Schoch
Reign Clark
Ron Ralph

Agency

Texas Historical Commission

Abstract

During the month of August 2015, Goshawk Environmental Consulting, Inc. (Goshawk) conducted four cultural resources surveys within the Eagle Ford Play, Central Eagle Ford Zone at the request of EOG Resources, Inc. (EOG). The projects subjected to cultural resources investigations were the Winwood Unit #1H and #2H Access Road, Manchaca Unit #5H, #6H, #7H, #8H, #9H, and #10H Flowlines, Winona Unit #14 Gas Lift Line, and Allman-Fleetwood Unit Gas Lift Line. Unless otherwise noted, each Area of Potential Effect (APE) was a 75-foot (23-meter [m]) wide right-of-way (ROW) consisting of a 50-foot (15-m) wide permanent easement and a 25-foot (8-m) wide temporary construction easement. The investigations were conducted by Goshawk archeologists Phil Schoch and Reign Clark with Bear Aspra and Mitch Juenke. Phil Schoch served as primary author and Reign Clark and Ron Ralph served as contributing authors for this report of investigations.

The cultural resources survey was performed according to Council of Texas Archeologists survey standards; in compliance with the Texas Historical Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure, Chapter 26, Section 27; and under the general guidelines of the Register of Professional Archaeologists. Site files on the THC’s Archeological Sites Atlas website database were consulted prior to the commencement of the field effort for previously recorded site locations; references to previous archeological surveys undertaken; and place names of interest in the vicinity of the proposed project.

Streams potentially under the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) jurisdiction, which cross the APEs, were assessed by an ecologist via desktop and field reviews prior to commencement of the cultural resources surveys. As per the established procedure of due diligence, any segment of an APE that falls within an area potentially under federal jurisdiction or any portion of an APE that falls within a 328-foot (100-m) radius of a known cultural site would be subjected to a cultural resources survey. Any segment of an APE to be surveyed under this protocol was labeled as a “review area” and was subjected to cultural resources survey.

During the survey of the projects, shovel tests were placed within the review areas. Shovel testing and surface inspection resulted in no significant cultural deposits documented within the survey areas. Based on these results, it is Goshawk’s opinion that no cultural resources will be impacted by construction within the surveyed portions of the APEs. Goshawk recommends that the projects be allowed to proceed as planned with the caveat that construction be limited to the surveyed ROWs. In the unlikely event that cultural resources (including human remains) are discovered, all construction or maintenance activities should be immediately halted and both the USACE and an archeologist should be notified.

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