Cotton Wastewater Interceptor Phase C-2, Williamson County, Texas

On January 17 and 30, 2018, archeologists from aci consulting conducted an intensive pedestrian survey prior to construction of the Cottonwood Wastewater Interceptor Phase C-2, in Williamson County, Texas. The original alignment for the proposed Cottonwood Wastewater Interceptor Phase C-2 alignment was 0.26 mile (0.42 kilometer) in length including a 20-foot buffer, totaling 1.26 acres (0.51 hectare). On December 3, 2019, a reroute of the proposed line was also surveyed. This final alignment and final Area of Potential Effect (APE) is 0.94 mile (1.51 kilometers) in length with a 25-foot buffer, totaling 5.7 acres (2.3 hectares). The investigation was conducted in accordance with Council of Texas Archeologists (CTA) and Texas Historical Commission (THC) and in compliance with Texas Administrative Code (13 TAC 26) under Permit No. 8255. The project is also conducted in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, for any additional compliance for impacts to US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) regulated waters. One site, 41WM701, was previously recorded within the APE and was revisited three times during this investigation. The portion of the site within the original APE may contribute to the site’s eligibility were the site to be determined eligible for listing on the NRHP. 41WM701 does appear eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and could also potentially be registered as a State Archeological Landmark (SAL). 41WM701 should be avoided. Thus, the third revisit was conducted to delineate the site boundary to the northwest, which was the only portion of the boundary in question and the location for a new alignment. The proposed wastewater line was rerouted in order to avoid site 41WM701, and the new alignment was surveyed with negative results. The investigation did not result in the location of any new archeological sites, historic structures, or additional historic properties. No further archeological work is recommended within the final APE. Records from this investigation will be curated at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory. Julie Shipp initially served as Principal Investigator from 2018 to summer of 2019. Joey O’Keefe served as Principal Investigator from summer of 2019 to present