Abstract
Gray and Pape, Inc., performed an intensive pedestrian cultural resources survey of the Area of Potential Effects of permitted segments of proposed pipeline refurbishment located in Midland and Mitchell Counties, Texas. To date, no federal permitting has been identified for the project. However, approximately 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) of the project area are located on lands owned by the City of Midland and the City of Colorado City, and will be reviewed under the Texas Antiquities Code (Texas Natural Resource Code, Title 9, Chapter 191), Permit number 8677. The area surveyed amounts to approximately 20 hectares (50 acres) of survey corridor, which is considered the Area of Potential Effects. A records and literature review of the project location prior to survey identified two previously recorded archaeological sites and two previously conducted surveys within a 1.6-kilometer (1-mile) radius of the project. Fieldwork was conducted in January and March of 2019. The project required 156-person hours to complete and involved archaeological reconnaissance and shovel testing throughout the entire Area of Potential Effects. A total of 116 shovel tests were excavated along current and previously planned routes, of which 10 were positive for cultural materials. One new previously unrecorded site was identified as a result of survey. Site 41MD58 consists of a low-density surface and buried lithic scatter of a limited number of artifacts and artifact types. The surface of the resource area showed clear disturbance from the adjacent pipeline right-of-way and agricultural activities. A portion of the site was in the process of being disturbed at the time of site delineation by pipeline activities unrelated to the current project consisting of an open trench and associated spoil. Shovel tests within the site showed a lack of integrity primarily as a result of natural and artificial processes resulting in the dispersion of artifacts. The site did not contain temporally or culturally diagnostic artifacts and no artifacts were collected. Nor were any cultural features or historic-age standing resources encountered in the field. Based on the paucity of artifacts, lack of diagnostic materials, and lack of integrity, the site portion located within the Area of Potential Effects is recommended not eligible for State Antiquities Landmark or National Register status. Gray & Pape, Inc. recommends no additional archaeological work for the site or surveyed portions of the project detailed in this report. However, Gray & Pape, Inc. recommends that an unanticipated discoveries plan be put into place in the event that discoveries take place during construction. Gray & Pape, Inc. submitted project records to the Center of Archaeological Studies at Texas State University.
Highlights
Bio-West, Inc. (BIO-WEST), of Rosenberg, Texas, on the behalf of their client, Magellan Crude Oil Pipeline Company, L.P. (Magellan), contracted with Gray & Pape, Inc. (Gray & Pape), of Houston, Texas, to perform an intensive pedestrian cultural resources survey of approximately 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) of project centerline located on City owned property in Midland and Mitchell Counties, Texas
The goals of the survey were to determine if the project would affect any previously identified archaeological sites as defined by the State Antiquities Code Criteria for Evaluating Archaeological Sites, and their eligibility for State Antiquities Landmark Status (TAC Title 13, Part 2, Chapter 26), and to establish if previously unidentified buried archaeological resources were located within the project’s Area of Potential Effects (APE)
Ongoing disturbance was present along the proposed centerline in Tract 6984MD-45 as work was being conducted on pipeline not associated with the current project (Figure 5-3)
Summary
Bio-West, Inc. (BIO-WEST), of Rosenberg, Texas, on the behalf of their client, Magellan Crude Oil Pipeline Company, L.P. (Magellan), contracted with Gray & Pape, Inc. (Gray & Pape), of Houston, Texas, to perform an intensive pedestrian cultural resources survey of approximately 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) of project centerline located on City owned property in Midland and Mitchell Counties, Texas. (BIO-WEST), of Rosenberg, Texas, on the behalf of their client, Magellan Crude Oil Pipeline Company, L.P. (Gray & Pape), of Houston, Texas, to perform an intensive pedestrian cultural resources survey of approximately 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) of project centerline located on City owned property in Midland and Mitchell Counties, Texas. 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) of centerline will involve property under the control of local governmental entities (the City of Midland and the City of Colorado City); a Texas Antiquities Code Permit, #8677 was required prior to the field survey. The goals of the survey were to determine if the project would affect any previously identified archaeological sites as defined by the State Antiquities Code Criteria for Evaluating Archaeological Sites, and their eligibility for State Antiquities Landmark Status (TAC Title 13, Part 2, Chapter 26), and to establish if previously unidentified buried archaeological resources were located within the project’s APE. All fieldwork and reporting activities were completed according to state (the Antiquities Code of Texas) and federal (NHPA) guidelines
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