Article Title

Cultural Resources Investigation Of The Green Valley Special Utility Distinct Weil Road Fill Line Project, Guadalupe County, Texas

Authors

Zachary M. Overfield
Sophia Salgado
Brooke Bonorden

Agency

Texas Historical Commission

Abstract

At the request of Trihydro Corporation, SWCA conducted a cultural resources investigation of the 3.2-mile (5.1 kilometer [km]) Green Valley Special Utility District (GVSUD) Weil Road Fill Line Project area (Project) located in the extra-territorial jurisdictions of the Cities of Santa Clara and Cibolo, Guadalupe County, Texas. The Project alignment traverses privately owned land and existing roadways between the Canyon Regional Water Authority (CRWA) Wagner Booster Pump Station at 1084 West FM 78 in Cibolo, and the GVSUD Booster Pump Station at Weil Road in Marion. The southern terminus of the Project alignment is located approximately 2.5 miles (4.02 km) west of Cibolo and approximately 2.75 miles (4.43 km) east of Marion.

Due to the receipt of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) of Texas federal funding, the Project must comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and its implementing regulations (36 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 800). Additionally, the Project involves political subdivisions of the State of Texas (CRWA and GVSUD) and the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT) applies as the Project’s activities will involve more than 5 acres / 5,000 cubic yards of land disturbance, or potentially affect known archaeological sites.

Investigations included a background and historic map review, and an intensive pedestrian survey with shovel testing within the Project alignment. The background literature review determined one previously conducted cultural resources investigation intersects the Project area near its southern terminus, site 41GU64, a prehistoric lithic quarry that SWCA revisited during the investigation. The site was recorded in 2000 by a Texas Historical Commission (THC) archaeological steward and the assemblage was reported to comprise burned rock, tested chert cobbles, bifaces, hand axes, and polyhedral cores.

The SWCA revisit of site 41GU64 within the Project area found it consists of a very low frequency of prehistoric lithic artifacts. Shovel tests encountered no subsurface cultural materials and no cultural features or temporally diagnostics were encountered on the ground surface within this portion of the site. Due to the paucity of cultural materials, lack of temporally diagnostic artifacts or features, and lack of buried cultural materials SWCA assesses the portion of site 41GU64 within the Project area as not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or designation as a State Antiquities Landmark (SAL).

Newly recorded site 41GU199 is a low-density, mid-twentieth-century, historic-age site comprised of an Aermotor windmill, pump shed, cement-capped well, and a historic-age artifact scatter constrained to the ground surface within a drainage. All aboveground features are located outside of the Project area and will not be impacted by Project construction activities. Overall, the observed artifacts are confined to the surface, have likely been displaced from their original context, and represent common trash and debris. The windmill and pump shed are common elements on the mid-twentieth-century landscape, do not possess significant architectural value, and cannot be associated with significant themes in American history. The windmill, pump shed, and well are located outside the Project construction area. Additionally, the site archaeological component lacks integrity, as the artifacts (N= 7) are solely within a disturbed context (drainage channel). Based on these factors the overall research potential of 41GU199 is low. As such, the portion of the site within the Project area is assessed not eligible for the NRHP and no further work is recommended.

SWCA also identified one historic-age isolated artifact find during pedestrian survey of the Project area. IF01 consists of the solarized base of a mid-twentieth-century Ball brand jar found on the ground surface. This cultural resource does not meet the criteria for designation as an archaeological site and no further work is warranted.

In accordance with 33 CFR 800.4, SWCA has made a reasonable and good faith effort to identify cultural resources properties within the Project area. No properties were identified that may meet the criteria for listing in the NRHP according to 36 CFR 60.4, or for designation as an SAL according to 13 Texas Administrative Code 26.10. SWCA requests THC concur with a determination of No Historic Properties Affected for the undertaking and that no additional cultural resources investigations are warranted within the Project area, as currently defined.

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