Final Report for Plan 6 Supplemental Cultural Resource Surveys

This final report reflects a year of on-call Class III cultural resource surveys for Plan 6, the Regulatory Storage Division of the Central Arizona Project. Included are eight reports representing close to 6000 acres of survey performed in the vicinity of the planned New Waddell Dam by Archaeological Consulting Services for the Arizona Projects Office, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Because New Waddell Dam is designed to be rock filled, one of the focal points of the contract was to survey proposed sources of the borrow material. A second focus was on ancillary water control features.

The tasks included survey of 11 locations for geologic test trenches in the proposed Black Mountain Rock Quarry; survey of the proposed relocation route for a portion of the Castle Hot Springs Road; survey of the proposed Waddell Canal and Agua Fria Borrow Area; survey of a geologic test trench and small materials pit near the confluence of Mesquite Wash and Sycamore Creek; relocation and flagging of six previously recorded sites; survey of the Morgan City Wash Spillway; survey of the New River Borrow Area; survey of the Black Mountain Material Areas; and survey of the East Terrace (Section 23-26) Borrow Area.

These surveys yielded a total of 43 sites and 2,018 loci of isolated artifacts. All but one of the sites were located in the two largest study areas, the Agua Fria and New River Borrow Areas. Although separated by only 2.5 miles, these two study areas evidence obvious differences in degree of use for habitation, agricultural strategies practiced, and artifact assemblages. Hypotheses concerning these divergences are suggested for testing during the upcoming data recovery program. Recommendations of site significance and strategies for avoidance or mitigation are offered.