SU0007861 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Draft Environmental Impact Report Page IV.J-2 Forward Landfill Expansion within a mile radius of the project area;there are a total of two historical archaeological sites: Sjo-19914 is described as an historic artifact scatter probably associated with the John Alexander Horn homestead (Gerike 1991). The only other recorded historic resource is Sjo-256H, segments of the historic French Camp Road found south of the project area. A visual inspection of the project area was conducted by Holman &Associates on January 8,2009 after contact with Landfill personnel to gain access to the parcel. As stated above, the parcel, still in agricultural use, had been recently disced, removing almost all vegetation from the surface. The visible soils consist of a sticky brown to black clay loam containing scant evidence of natural gravels. Other than a line of oak trees found along the banks of South Littlejohns Creek, the parcel is completely devoid of other types of native vegetation. The visual inspection was accomplished by walking 1.00 foot transects from south to north across the entire parcel. A more intensive inspection was given to the banks of South Littlejohns Creek,which is cut deeply into the level fields;the bottom of the creek was between 10 and 15 feet below the surface of the fields on either side of it. The ground surface was inspected for any evidence of Native American use and/or habitation: darker than surrounding soils of a friable nature, any evidence of fires (ash, charcoal, fire altered rock or earth), any concentrations of stone, bone or fresh water shellfish, and any artifacts of these materials. No evidence of archaeological deposits, either historic or prehistoric, were found anywhere inside the project area. It should be pointed out that despite the negative findings of the two previous archaeological surveys of the-landfill,both authors cautioned that there may be buried archaeological deposits on the property, in particular in close proximity to the natural drainages found there. Impacts and Mitigation Measures Impact J.1. Potential impacts on buried cultural resources. Although no evidence of cultural resources was found at either the Forward Landfill site (including the former Austin Road Landfill), or the proposed expansion parcel, there is the potential for subsurface archaeological deposits or human remains along the portion of the South Branches of the South Fork of Littlejohns Creek proposed for realignment. These could be disturbed or destroyed by project-related excavation and filling. Holman& Associates (2009) concluded that there is a moderate possibility that excavation for the new creek bed (to the south and in close proximity to the existing natural course of South Littlejohns) might uncover buried archaeological resources that would have been situated inside the riparian zone of the creek. Mitigation 1.1. An archaeological monitor shall be retained to observe the excavation of the new creek channel along the southern border of the parcel in order to identify potentially buried resources. In the event that any of the archaeological site indicators described above are found, work should be halted within a zone established by the project archaeologist until a plan for the evaluation of the resource under CEQA guidelines has been submitted to the appropriate permitting agency for approval. If any potential cultural resources are encountered during the creek relocation excavation, the following measures shall be implemented: