Article Title

Cultural Resources Monitoring of the San Antonio Water System Parland Place Water and Sewer Main Installation Project, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Authors

Steve A. Tomka

Agency

Texas Historical Commission

Abstract

Raba Kistner Environmental, Inc. (RKEI), was contracted by K FRIESE + ASSOCIATES (CLIENT), on behalf of San Antonio Water System (SAWS), to perform cultural resources monitoring investigations for the Parland Place Water and Sewer Replacement Project in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The undertaking involved the installation of a new sewer main, water main, and associated service connections within the Parland Place right-of-way (ROW) in northeastern downtown San Antonio. The Project Area began at the Parland Place–Broadway Street intersection and extended east for approximately 2,420 feet (738 meters [m]), intersecting Milton Street and Bellview Street, before terminating at New Braunfels Avenue. Each new main was installed within its own utility easement, parallel to one another within the center and southern street ROWs; however, the new sewer main was only installed within two sections of the Project Area, while the new water main extended the entire length of the Project Area.

A preliminary review by the City of San Antonio (COSA) Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) determined that archaeological monitoring was required for the Project Area given that Acequia Madre de Valero was projected as crossing Parland Place, 500 feet (152 m) east of its intersection with Broadway Street. For archaeological purposes, the initial APE consisted of a 300 foot (91 m) section of the proposed alignment, beginning 330 feet (101 m) east of Broadway Street. However, monitoring investigations were extended 50 feet (15 m) to the west in order to investigate a grassy ditch that was observed within the Project Area. The total area monitored for the project included a 350-foot APE, or 0.03-acres of disturbance for both water and sewer main installations.

The project was located on lands controlled by the COSA, a political subdivision of the State of Texas. As such, the project is subject to review under the City of San Antonio’s Unified Development Code (UDC) (Chapter 35 Article VI), as well as the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT; Texas Natural Resource Code, Title 9, Chapter 191). Steve Tomka served as the Principal Investigator and all work was conducted under the Texas Antiquities Committee (TAC) Permit No. 8371. Rhiana D. Ward served as Project Archaeologist, and fieldwork was conducted by Chris Matthews, Rhiana D. Ward, and Jason Whitaker.

In August-October 2018, RKEI conducted cultural resources monitoring for the SAWS Parland Place Water and Sewer Main Installation Project. No cultural deposits or features of any temporal affiliation were observed during project excavations; however, field observations of the general Project Area identified a grassy ditch to the northwest of the APE, within an empty residential lot. The ditch measured between 6.5 to 8 feet (2 and 2.5 m) wide, approximately 12 to 18 inches (30 to 46 cm) deep, and projected at a 186-degree orientation. It is possible that the grassy ditch to the north of the Project Area is a remnant of the acequia, however, any subsurface evidence of the channel had been destroyed during the installation/construction of a 33 foot-long concrete utility observed during water main excavations. The ditch was photo documented, but because the private lot was located beyond the project boundary, no subsurface investigations could be conducted to verify the nature of the ditch. Overall, no cultural deposits or features of any temporal affiliation were observed during the excavations of the SAWS Parland Place Water and Sewer Main Installation Project. As such RKEI does not recommend any further archaeological investigations within the areas monitored. However, should additional excavations in the APE occur, further work may be required.

All field records and photographs will be curated at the University of Texas at San Antonio Center for Archaeological Research.

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