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Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District (SRP) requested that Logan Simpson Design Inc. (LSD) perform a Class III cultural resources survey of 4.7 acres for a proposed 12 kV distribution line south of Queen Valley, Pinal County, Arizona. The project area, which is located on State Trust land under the jurisdiction of the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) north of US 60 near Hewitt Road. The cultural resources survey was requested by SRP in support of ASLD right-of-way (ROW) application number 18-112296. The project will involve the installation of a 12 kV overhead distribution line in a 10-ft-wide by 2.75-mile-long corridor to be operated and maintained by SRP. Because the project is located on land under the jurisdiction of ASLD, the cultural resources survey was completed in compliance with the requirements set forth in ARS § 41-861 et seq., the Arizona State Historic Preservation Act. This is a revised report.

The Salt River Project (SRP) is planning to upgrade the current carrying capacity of 18.3 miles of the existing Silver King to Goldfield 230kV line north of Queen Valley and Superior, Pinal County, Arizona. In order to accomplish this, SRP plans to “bundle” the existing 230kV conductors by adding a second conductor to each of the three existing single-conductor phases. This 230kV line was originally intended for two circuits of bundled conductors and permitted for such on Forest Service lands by FS Permit #GLO401160. To add the new conductors, SRP will need to re-open some of the original access roads and the selected wire, puller, sleeving, and anchor sites used during the original 1978 line construction. The existing transmission line corridor across State Trust Land administered by the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) and private lands has been previously surveyed for cultural resources (a corridor measuring 70 ft south and 220 ft north of the existing 230kV line and including the 500kV line) and was not re-surveyed for this project (Antineau 1977; Van Nimwegen 1991). SRP requested that Logan Simpson Design Inc. (LSD) perform a Class III cultural resources of a 50-foot-wide corridor centered on each of the access roads leading to the corridor that may need to be physically altered to allow equipment to approach the project area. Twelve segments of access roads, as well as puller, wire, and anchor sites located outside the corridor were surveyed, totaling approximately 3.6 miles (22.1 acres). LSD also re-located previously recorded sites within the corridor in the vicinity of towers or access roads to verify site locations and boundaries.