San Carlos Reservoir Study, Cultural Resources: Current Status, Needs, and Recommendations: Report

At the request of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and in collaboration with the Bureau of Indian Affairs' San Carlos Irrigation Project (SCIP), the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) undertook a Class III cultural resources inventory on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in the vicinity of San Carlos Reservoir, developed a cultural affiliation statement for human remains and associated objects encountered within the project area, and prepared an overview and needs assessment for cultural resources that may be adversely affected by activities related to the use and maintenance of San Carlos Reservoir.

The San Carlos Apache Tribe sought the establishment of a minimum pool in San Carlos Reservoir to prevent a total drawdown of the reservoir and a resulting catastrophic fish kill and loss of revenue from sport fishing and other reservoir-related recreational activities. The San Carlos Apache Tribe was also concerned with the effect fluctuating water levels was having on cultural resources located along the perimeter of the reservoir, particularly the possible exposure of human remains.

The Bureau of Reclamation developed an assessment of archaeological sites along the edge of the San Carlos Reservoir. This report describes the impacts fluctuating reservoir levels has on cultural resources, identifies archaeological sites around the San Carlos Reservoir that exemplify the kinds of damage sites exhibit when subjected to erosion, and discusses the pros and cons of possible mitigation measures that could be used at San Carlos Reservoir to protect cultural resources.

The cultural affiliation statement for this project can be found at tDAR ID: 393915.

The cultural resources survey for this project can be found at tDAR ID: 393843.