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Home My WebLink About20201935 Ver 1_U-6251 Buncombe No Survey Required Form_20210318 Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 1 of 8 20-04-0003 Updated NO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY REQUIRED FORM This form only pertains to ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES for this project. It is not valid for Historic Architecture and Landscapes. You must consult separately with the Historic Architecture and Landscapes Group. PROJECT INFORMATION Project No: U-6251 County: Buncombe County WBS No: 48926.1.1 Document: Federal CE F.A. No: TBD Funding: State Federal Federal Permit Required? Yes No Permit Type: FHWA & USACE Project Description: The project calls for the construction of a new access road from US 19/23 (Smokey Park Highway) to Walk Off Way in Buncombe County (TIP U-6251). The archaeological Area of Potential Effects (APE) for the project is defined as an approximately 1,500-foot (157.20 m) long corridor running roughly north- south along new location. This corridor is approximately 200 feet (60.96 m) wide extending 100 feet (30.48 m) to either side of the proposed center line. The width expands to 300 feet (91.44 m) wide at the proposed crossing over an unnamed tributary to Hominy Creek extending 150 feet (45.72 m) to either side of the center line. In all, the APE encompasses approximately 7.5 acres. This project is federally funded and will required federal permits. As a result, this archaeological review was conducted in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s Regulations for Compliance (36 CFR Part 800). Project was originally assigned TIP U-6230. It has since been reassigned as U-6251. All other previous information is unchanged. The assessment of the project area is still valid. SUMMARY OF CULTURAL RESOURCES REVIEW Brief description of review activities, results of review, and conclusions: The proposed new access road project (U-6251) is located within the community of Enka located southwest of Asheville in Buncombe County, North Carolina. The project area is plotted in the southeastern portion of the Enka USGS 7.5' topographic quadrangle (Figure 1). A site file search was conducted with data from the Office of State Archaeology (OSA) on April 17, 2020. While no previously recorded archaeological sites are within or adjacent to the APE, a total of 38 sites (31BN5, 31BN58, 31BN79, 31BN80, 31BN100, 31BN166, 31BN167, 31BN181–31BN184, 31BN269, 31BN364, 31BN688, 31BN703, 31BN705–31BN709, 31BN711–31BN715, 31BN839, 31BN841, 31BN843–31BN846, 31BN848, 31BN875, 31BN908, and 31BN1056–31BN1059) are within a mile of the project. According to the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office online data base (HPOWEB 2020), there are no known historic architectural resources within the APE that may yield intact archaeological deposits. Topographic maps, USDA soil survey maps, aerial photographs (NC One Map, Google Earth, and NCDOT Historic Aerial Imagery Index), and historic maps (North Carolina maps website) were further examined for information on environmental and cultural variables that may have contributed to precontact or historic settlement within the project limits and to assess the level of ground disturbance. Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 2 of 8 20-04-0003 Updated The new access road’s APE is situated on a partially filled pond, hillside slopes, and graded ridge tops (Figure 2). Two waterways are crossed with Hominy Creek to the north and an unnamed tributary to the south. These waterways are part of the French Broad drainage basin. Ground disturbance within the APE is high from past earth moving activities. At the northern end, US 19/23, a parking lot, and railroad occupies a ridge top and hillside before the landform slopes into Hominy Creek. Aerial photos on Google Earth shows construction of the new access road in this area by a developer starting in 2015 with a incomplete bridge over Hominy Creek by 2019. Between Hominy Creek and the unnamed tributary is a partially fill pond. The pond is seen on aerial as early as 1957 (NCDOT Historic Aerial Imagery Index 2020), but it is not depicted on any earlier USGS maps. Aerials from 2019 show a portion of the new road covering the pond. South of the unnamed tributary and pond is a hillside slope leading up to a ridge. The ridge top and hillside has been subjected to past tree clearing, grading, and soil erosion. An aerial from 1970 shows the APE as partial graded (NCDOT Historic Aerial Imagery Index 2020), while aerials from 1995 (Figure 3) and 1998 display more widespread tree clearing, grading, and soil erosion encompassing the entire APE (Google Earth). These disturbances make it unlikely for intact and significant archaeological deposits to be present. Ground disturbance is further supported by the USDA soil survey map for Buncombe County (USDA NRCS 2020). The soil map shows the entire APE consisting of Udorthents loam (Ud) and the Udorthents-Urban land complex (UfB; UfE) (see Figure 2). These are disturbed soils in which the natural characteristics have been altered by earth moving activities or covered over by impervious materials. The presence of significant archaeological resources to be found on these soils is low and require no subsurface testing. Although a review of the archaeological site files demonstrates a high density of known sites in the region with 38 sites (31BN5, 31BN58, 31BN79, 31BN80, 31BN100, 31BN166, 31BN167, 31BN181–31BN184, 31BN269, 31BN364, 31BN688, 31BN703, 31BN705–31BN709, 31BN711–31BN715, 31BN839, 31BN841, 31BN843–31BN846, 31BN848, 31BN875, 31BN908, and 31BN1056–31BN1059) being reported, ground disturbance makes it improbable that any significant sites are within the currently defined APE. This was suggested in the only pervious archaeological survey to be carried out within the project area (Nagle 2019). This survey was for a pipeline that crossed the project area near the ponds (see Figure 2). While it covered only a small portion of the current APE, the investigators determined that no shovel tests were needed due to disturbance and slope of over 15 percent. The survey also failed to relocate nearby site 31BN182 due to disturbance, and no new sites were recorded in the vicinity of the U-6230 project. A map review also failed to provide any significant historical information. Most early maps prior to the 20th century show few details concerning the location. The 1901 Asheville USGS maps is one of the earliest maps in which a fairly accurate placement can be determined (Figure 4). The map displays an early alignment of US 19/23 and the railroad at the northern end of the APE, but no other features are depicted south of Hominy Creek. Subsequent maps such as the 1920 Soil Map for Buncombe County and the 1938 North Carolina State Highway Map for Buncombe County illustrate the same picture (Figures 5 and 6). As a result, it is not likely that any significant historic remains will be encountered. Brief Explanation of why the available information provides a reliable basis for reasonably predicting that there are no unidentified historic properties in the APE: The proposed new access road project (U-6251) from US 19/23 (Smokey Park Highway) to Walk Off Way in Buncombe County is not likely to impact any significant archaeological resources. This is due to previous ground disturbing activities, which were seen on aerial photos and reported on the soil survey map. As a result, significant archaeological resources are very unlikely, and no further archaeological work is recommended for this project. But if design plans change to affect subsurface areas beyond the defined APE, further archaeological consultation might be necessary. Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 3 of 8 20-04-0003 Updated Please note, this project falls within a North Carolina County in which the Catawba Nation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Cherokee Nation, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, and Muscogee (Creek) Nation have expressed an interest. It is recommended that you contact each federal agency involved with this project to determine their Section 106 Tribal consultation requirements. SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION See attached: Map(s) Previous Survey Info Photos Correspondence Photocopy of County Survey Notes Other: FINDING BY NCDOT ARCHAEOLOGIST NO ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED 3/18/2021 C. Damon Jones Date NCDOT ARCHAEOLOGIST Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 4 of 8 20-04-0003 Updated REFERENCES CITED HPOWEB 2020 North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office GIS Web Service. http://gisNCDCR.gov/hpoweb/. Accessed April 17, 2020. Nagle, Kimberly 2019 Phase I Archaeological Survey, T-072 Pipeline Project, Buncombe County, North Carolina. S&ME Inc., Columbis, South Carolina. Submitted to Dominion Energy NC, Gastonia, North Carolina. NCDOT Historic Aerial Imagery Index 2020 Available online at http://ncdot.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=91e02b76dce4470ebd7ec240ad202a04. Accessed April 20, 2020. North Carolina State Highway and Public Works Commission (NCSHPWC) 1938 North Carolina State Highway Map for Buncombe County, North Carolina State Highway and Public Works Commission, Raleigh. Perkins, Samuel, Robert Devereux, Samuel Davidson, and William Davis 1920 Soil Map for Buncombe County, North Carolina. U.S. Department of Argiculture, Government Printing Office, Washington D.C. On file at North Carolina Collections, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Services (USDA NRCS) 2020 Buncombe County Soil Survey. Available online at http://webosilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/. Accessed April 17, 2020. United States Geological Survey (USGS) 1901 Asheville, North Carolina-Tennessee 30 minute quadrangle map. Reprinted in 1907. 2016 Enka, North Carolina 7.5 minute quadrangle map. Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 5 of 8 20-04-0003 Updated Figure 1. Topographic Setting of the Project Area, Enka (2016), NC USGS 7′5 Topographic Quadrangle. Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 6 of 8 20-04-0003 Updated Figure 2. Aerial photograph of the APE showing development, contours, soils, and previously surveyed properties. Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 7 of 8 20-04-0003 Updated Figure 3. 1995 aerial photograph from Google Earth of the project area showing clearing and grading. Figure 4. 1901 USGS Asheville topographic map showing the project area. Project Tracking No.: “No ARCHAEOLOGY SURVEY REQUIRED” form for the Amended Minor Transportation Projects as Qualified in the 2015 Programmatic Agreement. 8 of 8 20-04-0003 Updated Figure 5. The 1920 Soil Map for Buncombe County showing the project area. Figure 6. The 1938 North Carolina State Highway Map for Buncombe County showing the project area.