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Agency
Texas Historical Commission
Abstract
On behalf of CPS Energy, SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) conducted cultural resources investigations of eight CPS Energy projects within Bexar County, Texas. The eight cultural resources investigations conducted under the annual permit include background records review and file searches, archaeological investigations such as surface reconnaissance and intensive cultural resources surveys and construction monitoring. The investigations were conducted to identify all historic or prehistoric cultural resources located within CPS Energy projects, establish vertical and horizontal site boundaries as appropriate within the project areas, and evaluate the significance and eligibility of all sites recorded for designation as a State Antiquities Landmark. All work was done in accordance with the standards and guidelines of the Antiquities Code of Texas under CPS Energy’s annual permit 6851.
In coordination with the Texas Historical Commission (THC) and the San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation (SA-OHP), CPS Energy and SWCA applied existing Categorical Exclusions (CEs) from the THC regulations and developed new CEs specific to CPS Energy projects. Projects were reviewed under the defined CEs and some CEs are conditional upon their location within or outside of the original 36-square-mile city limit (herein referred to as City Limit) for the City of San Antonio. CPS Energy’s projects were primarily within an urban setting in downtown San Antonio and surrounding suburbs. Most of the projects occurred within the existing rights-of-way of previous utilities and roads. The CPS Energy projects consisted of new electric and gas transmission and distribution projects; upgrading and maintaining existing electric and gas infrastructure; and a variety of construction and maintenance activities for substations. The investigations consisted of two intensive pedestrian surveys and six monitoring investigations. Of the eight, five were within City Limit as defined by the CEs. The remaining three were outside of the City Limit but did not qualify under a CE.
Overall, none of the projects encountered significant cultural resources and no further work was recommended. SWCA made a reasonable and good faith effort to identify cultural resource properties within the project areas. Based on the results of these investigations, the undertaking did not have any effect on any significant cultural resources. SWCA recommended no further archaeological investigations within the APEs and the THC/SA-OHP concurred with each of the project’s findings. No artifacts were collected; thus, only field records and photographs will be curated at the Center for Archaeological Research at The University of Texas at San Antonio.
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