Cultural Resources and Cultural Resources and Structural RehabilitationStructural Rehabilitation

Your NRCS ResponsibilitiesYour NRCS Responsibilities

Rehab and NRCSRehab and NRCS

NRCS has responded to the national NRCS has responded to the national need to rehabilitate dams to ensure need to rehabilitate dams to ensure public safety and extend the useful public safety and extend the useful life of valuable public works.life of valuable public works.

NRCS must also take cultural NRCS must also take cultural resources into account.resources into account.

A cultural resources specialist is A cultural resources specialist is available for oversight.available for oversight.

Rehab Differs from New Rehab Differs from New Construction for Cultural Construction for Cultural

ResourcesResources The structure itself The structure itself

may be an historic may be an historic propertyproperty

Much of the area is Much of the area is disturbeddisturbed

Much of the APE (area Much of the APE (area of potential effect) is of potential effect) is on disturbed groundon disturbed ground

PSA (posts settlement PSA (posts settlement alluvium) is usually alluvium) is usually abundantabundant

The structure itself is The structure itself is not an historic not an historic propertyproperty

Often, most of the Often, most of the area has little area has little disturbancedisturbance

Usually the APE has Usually the APE has little disturbance.little disturbance.

PSA is often less of a PSA is often less of a factorfactor

Is the Structure More than 50 Is the Structure More than 50 Years Old?Years Old?

To be taken into To be taken into account under Federal account under Federal cultural resource law, cultural resource law, the cultural resource the cultural resource usually must be more usually must be more than 50 years of age.than 50 years of age.

Structures less than 50 Structures less than 50 years old, need not be years old, need not be considered (although considered (although there may be other there may be other cultural resources cultural resources present that need to present that need to be considered).be considered).

Only significant sites need to be Only significant sites need to be taken into accounttaken into account

Associated with Associated with important eventsimportant events

Associated with Associated with important peopleimportant people

Is distinctive in Is distinctive in design or design or constructionconstruction

Potentially contains Potentially contains important dataimportant data

Is an old structure Is an old structure significant?significant?

Common reasons old Common reasons old structures are structures are significant involve significant involve associations with associations with important events or important events or the distinctiveness of the distinctiveness of design or construction.design or construction.

For example, the first For example, the first watershed in a watershed in a conservation program, conservation program, or an early example of or an early example of employing a new employing a new technology.technology.

The structure must have The structure must have integrity to be significantintegrity to be significant

The structure must The structure must have integrity of have integrity of location, setting, location, setting, design, materials, design, materials, workmanship, and workmanship, and feelings and feelings and association.association.

Common reasons old structures Common reasons old structures lack integritylack integrity

The setting may have The setting may have radically changed, e.g. radically changed, e.g. from rural to urban.from rural to urban.

The structure may The structure may have been updated have been updated with repairs or new with repairs or new construction.construction.

The structure may The structure may have been breached have been breached or filled with sediment.or filled with sediment.

If the structure to be If the structure to be rehabilitated is a significant rehabilitated is a significant

cultural resource:cultural resource:And you do not have an effect on those And you do not have an effect on those

attributes that make it significant, you attributes that make it significant, you do not have a cultural resource problem.do not have a cultural resource problem.

If you do have an effect, the agency will If you do have an effect, the agency will have to take it into account. This means have to take it into account. This means weighing the cultural resource against weighing the cultural resource against other values of the undertaking and other values of the undertaking and going through a consultation process.going through a consultation process.

Rehabilitation may have an Rehabilitation may have an effect on nearby cultural effect on nearby cultural

resourcesresources

New borrow areasNew borrow areas Dam enlargementDam enlargement Constructing access Constructing access

roadsroads Altering auxiliary Altering auxiliary

spillwaysspillways Removing existing Removing existing

houseshouses Disposal of sedimentDisposal of sediment

Areas that don’t need Areas that don’t need surveyingsurveying

Areas covered by post settlement Areas covered by post settlement alluvium (PSA) alluvium (PSA)

Recently disturbed groundRecently disturbed groundAreas already archeologically Areas already archeologically

surveyedsurveyedSteep areasSteep areas

Post Settlement Alluvium Post Settlement Alluvium (PSA)(PSA)

PSA is recent over PSA is recent over washwash

PSA can accumulate PSA can accumulate rapidlyrapidly

PSA fills in PSA fills in structuresstructures

The structure itself The structure itself may have been built may have been built on PSAon PSA

PSA is normally PSA is normally excluded from excluded from cultural resource cultural resource surveysurvey

Recently disturbed groundRecently disturbed ground At rehab sites, ground is At rehab sites, ground is

present that was present that was disturbed by previous disturbed by previous constructionconstruction

Under normal Under normal circumstances, any circumstances, any cultural resources that cultural resources that might have been might have been present, have been present, have been destroyed in those areas.destroyed in those areas.

Consequently, disturbed Consequently, disturbed areas are of little or no areas are of little or no cultural resource cultural resource interest.interest.

Determine where disturbance Determine where disturbance occurred during constructionoccurred during construction

Check old plans.Check old plans.Ask older members of the community Ask older members of the community

who might know.who might know.Check aerial photos.Check aerial photos.Get a soil scientist to probe the area. Get a soil scientist to probe the area.

The soil scientist can tell you where The soil scientist can tell you where the soil has been truncated, and by the soil has been truncated, and by observing chaotic bedding can tell observing chaotic bedding can tell where soil has been disturbed.where soil has been disturbed.

Areas already archeologically Areas already archeologically surveyedsurveyed

Some areas have Some areas have already been already been archeologically archeologically surveyed.surveyed.

Don’t under Don’t under ordinary ordinary circumstances circumstances resurvey areas that resurvey areas that have a good survey have a good survey already done.already done.

Steep AreasSteep Areas

Slopes 10% or greater Slopes 10% or greater are unlikely to have are unlikely to have structures or campsitesstructures or campsites

except for special except for special resource areas such as resource areas such as flint outcrops, springs, flint outcrops, springs, and rock shelters.and rock shelters.

Some archeological Some archeological sites on summits may sites on summits may have eroded down have eroded down slope, but this would be slope, but this would be an area of the site that an area of the site that would lack integrity.would lack integrity.

Tips for borrow areasTips for borrow areas

There is no cultural There is no cultural resources problem if resources problem if you use PSA (e.g. you use PSA (e.g. sediment that is sediment that is filling up the filling up the structure).structure).

Nor is there a Nor is there a problem if you use a problem if you use a commercial borrow commercial borrow area, or borrow from area, or borrow from previously disturbed previously disturbed areas.areas.

Tips for dam enlargementTips for dam enlargement Enlarging (raising and Enlarging (raising and

lengthening) a dam lengthening) a dam usually causes ground usually causes ground disturbance.disturbance.

You needn’t survey You needn’t survey areas that are already areas that are already disturbed.disturbed.

Areas of existing Areas of existing disturbance include disturbance include the dam itself, the the dam itself, the original shaping of the original shaping of the valley walls, existing valley walls, existing roads (especially if it roads (especially if it is a road structure), is a road structure), and existing borrow and existing borrow pits and spill ways.pits and spill ways.

Tips for access roadsTips for access roads Heavy equipment needs to Heavy equipment needs to

get to the project area, get to the project area, which in itself can damage which in itself can damage cultural resources.cultural resources.

Use existing roads (including Use existing roads (including field roads) when possible field roads) when possible and you avoid problems.and you avoid problems.

Use areas that have a Use areas that have a history of being driven over history of being driven over by tractors. Tractors exert by tractors. Tractors exert more pressure per square more pressure per square inch on the ground, than inch on the ground, than heavy construction heavy construction equipment.equipment.

Bulldozing a road normally Bulldozing a road normally requires a survey.requires a survey.

Tips for altering auxiliary Tips for altering auxiliary spillwaysspillways

When dams are raised When dams are raised during rehab, usually during rehab, usually the auxiliary spillway the auxiliary spillway is moved upslope.is moved upslope.

You want to know You want to know whether the new whether the new position has been position has been previously disturbed or previously disturbed or whether it has a slope whether it has a slope of 10% or greater. If of 10% or greater. If either or both of these either or both of these conditions apply, you conditions apply, you have little or no have little or no cultural resources cultural resources problems.problems.

Tips on removing existing Tips on removing existing housinghousing

Houses may be moved or Houses may be moved or demolished during rehab.demolished during rehab.

If the house is over 50 years If the house is over 50 years of age, its significance of age, its significance needs to be determined.needs to be determined.

Even a non-significant house Even a non-significant house that is moved may damage that is moved may damage a cultural resource when it a cultural resource when it is taken to its new site. is taken to its new site. Ensure that the new site will Ensure that the new site will not damage a significant not damage a significant resource.resource.

Remaining basements can Remaining basements can be grubbed out by a be grubbed out by a backhoe, without damaging backhoe, without damaging undisturbed deposits. This undisturbed deposits. This is because of the is because of the surrounding disturbed area surrounding disturbed area that was needed for the that was needed for the concrete forms.concrete forms.

Basements can be filled with Basements can be filled with PSA (e.g. ditch clean out).PSA (e.g. ditch clean out).

Tips for disposal of sedimentTips for disposal of sediment Dredging or breaching Dredging or breaching

of a dam can produce of a dam can produce large amounts of large amounts of sediment.sediment.

Burying significant Burying significant cultural resources with cultural resources with its disposal can deny its disposal can deny access to researchers.access to researchers.

When possible, When possible, sediment should be sediment should be disposed over disturbed disposed over disturbed ground, PSA, or very ground, PSA, or very thinly “topsoiled” over thinly “topsoiled” over cultivated fields.cultivated fields.

If used to fill side If used to fill side gullies, the gullies gullies, the gullies should be surveyed.should be surveyed.