Balding Pod 138kV Transmission Line Route-Ut Lands Portion

Oncor Electric Delivery Company, LLC is planning to construct the Balding POD 138-kV Transmission Line in Winkler County, Texas. Halff Associates, Inc, the routing consultant for Oncor, contracted with AR Consultants, Inc. to conduct an intensive pedestrian survey of the 370-m proposed transmission line route located on University of Texas School Lands. Survey was conducted on August 30, 2017. Four shovel tests were excavated and transects were walked within the 100-ft survey corridor (2.7 acres); no cultural resources were identified in these shovel tests nor on the surface. Due to prior disturbances, poor integrity of context, eroded and shallow soils, and the absence of any identified cultural materials in the study area, the proposed project should have No Effect on any cultural resource sites meeting National Register of Historic Places eligibility requirements set forth in 36 CFR 60.4 – Criteria of Eligibility, nor any sites that merit designation as State Antiquities Landmarks, as outlined in 13 TAC 26.8, Criteria for Evaluating Archeological Sites. Therefore, no additional cultural resources investigations are recommended for this project. Geoarchaeological assessment revealed that the project area does not exhibit the necessary pedologic or geomorphic conditions for the burial and preservation of cultural deposits. Consequently, no geoarchaeological monitoring of transmission pole emplacement is recommended. However, should the proposed right-of-way alignment change through the addition of reroutes, additional archaeological survey may be necessary. Since no sites were identified, no artifact curation is required, while the paperwork will be curated with the Center for Archaeological Studies at Texas State University in San Marcos