Cultural Resources Survey of the Quail to Florence Junction 69 kV Subtransmission Line Easement on State Trust Land, Pinal County, Arizona

This report presents the results of a Class III cultural resources survey of a portion of the right-of-way corridor for a new 69 kV subtransmission line that will extend between the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District (SRP) Quail Substation, located southeast of Queen Creek, and the Florence Junction Substation, west of Florence Junction, Arizona. The survey was requested by SRP to determine if significant cultural resources were present within the right-of-way corridor that might be adversely affected by construction of the new electric line and removal of its predecessor. The effort was conducted to comply with the Arizona Antiquities Act of 1960 (as amended) and the State Historic Preservation Act of 1982, as required for leasing right-of-way from the state. Only the portion of the subtransmission line corridor located on Arizona State Trust Land was subject to the current survey (ASLD Lease Nos. RW160 [1931] and 16-4300 [1967]). The cultural resources survey was conducted on 19 and 20 May 2012 by Connie Darby and Sandra Wadsworth of Desert Archaeology, Inc., working under the authority of Arizona Antiquities Act Blanket Permit No. 2012-010bl (Arizona State Museum [ASM] Accession No. 2012-0327). Dr. Kathleen Henderson served as Principal Investigator for the project. One previously recorded archaeological site, AZ U:15:128 (ASM), was relocated and 23 isolated occurrences of prehistoric and historic cultural material were recorded within the surveyed right-of-way corridor. U:15:128 appears to have been subject to considerable amount of erosion since it was originally recorded (Adams 1989b) and, as a result, the site no longer constitutes a significant cultural resource. In the absence of significant cultural resources, a recommendation is made that construction of the new Quail to Florence Junction subtransmission line and removal of the earlier electrical line can proceed as planned.