• May
    2020
    28
    2020 / May / 28

    Roundhouse Renewable Energy Project

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    The Roundhouse Renewable Energy Project included: a Class I literature Review, Class III archaeological survey, mitigation/excavation of a multi-component site, leading cultural resources training for construction personnel, and conducting archaeological monitoring during construction. The linear transmission line consisted of 28 miles of cultural survey that included full documentation of previously recorded and newly recorded archaeological sites within the project area and providing recommendation of their eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). A full Class III survey report was prepared for submittal to the State Historic Preservation Office.

    The survey area encompasses a variety of prehistoric and historic sites. Prehistoric sites included lithic scatters and habitation sites, while historic sites included mining complexes, sheep ranches, and homesteads. After the completion of the cultural survey, the Logan Simpson project manager developed an avoidance and testing plan for nine NRHP-eligible sites in advance of the construction of the transmission line towers. The testing plan included a variety of mitigation techniques including avoidance fencing, monitoring, trenching, test units, diagnostic surface collection and shovel testing. Site mitigation included systematic mechanical trenching, unit excavation and controlled surface collections. Laboratory analysis and curation took place at Colorado State University. The mitigation report is nearing completion, and Logan Simpson provided an archaeological monitor for the project to ensure that NRHP-eligible sites are not disturbed during construction.

  • Nov
    2018
    09
    2018 / Nov / 09

    Rawhide Solar Facility Permitting

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    Logan Simpson worked with Platte River Power Authority to prepare a 1041 permit application for construction of a 30-MW solar generating facility at the site of the Rawhide Power Plant north of Fort Collins, Colorado.  The project included a survey of the site’s biological and cultural resources and other related investigations. Following hearings by the Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners, the project was unanimously approved.

  • Sep
    2018
    25
    2018 / Sep / 25

    LiDAR Cultural Resources and Environmental Support

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    Rocky Mountain Power uses Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data collected from helicopter flights to measure minimum ground clearance, structural loads, wire sag, and wire tension along their existing electric transmission line network. Lines that pose a safety hazard are then repaired. Many of the lines pre-date environmental and cultural resources regulations such as NEPA, ESA, or NHPA. Logan Simpson helped Rocky Mountain Power navigate relevant regulations while ensuring that construction schedules were not impacted by unexpected environmental or cultural resources issues. Specific tasks included interfacing with federal and state agencies; large-scale literature reviews and due diligence studies to identify potential conflicts; GIS-based mapping, modeling, and database preparation; cultural resources inventories, site recording, and monitoring; and biological tasks like avian surveys, plant surveys, revegetation, and monitoring construction buffers for threatened and endangered species. We also identified construction access roads onto the right-of-way and facilitated the resolution of potential logistical issues that could impede construction.

  • Sep
    2018
    19
    2018 / Sep / 19

    Transmission Line Herbicide EAs

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    The Arizona Public Service Company (APS) and the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District (SRP) are responsible for managing vegetation within their respective utility corridors in Arizona. To use integrated vegetation management more effectively, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM); the US Forest Service (USFS); APS; and SRP have agreed to consider using herbicide treatments alongside existing treatment methods within the authorized right-of-way corridors. Two EAs—one for the BLM, and one for USFS—are being prepared to analyze the potential impacts of using herbicides within the electrical distribution and transmission line corridors on BLM- and USFS-administered lands in Arizona. Logan Simpson was responsible for the project management, meeting facilitation, and coordination for the two separate EAs and associated processes. In addition to the meeting management, data management, and writing/editing the EAs, Logan Simpson is also responsible for managing the Forest Service project record, maintaining the file sharing system, and creating the project administrative file for USFS use.

  • Logan Simpsons APS Cultural Project
    Aug
    2015
    22
    2015 / Aug / 22

    APS Cultural Resources Survey

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    In a project of extraordinary scale, Logan Simpson’s cultural resources consultants surveyed approximately 5,000 miles of Arizona Public Service (APS) 69kV to 500kV transmission lines in Arizona and New Mexico prior to routine maintenance, emergency maintenance, vegetation clearing, and new construction. We coordinated with numerous land management agencies and Native American tribes. Our cultural resources consultants also provided site avoidance flagging and archaeological monitoring during vegetation-maintenance activities to avoid adverse effects to NRHP-eligible sites. Our cultural resources specialists developed SHPO-compliant field recording methods for efficiently preparing site forms for multiple agencies. We recorded field data using GPS to submeter accuracy for easy integration into APS’s GIS database and followed strict safety procedures. Our work allows APS to efficiently manage environmental issues within its transmission line corridors and provided an unprecedented body of data for conducting archaeological research across much of the Southwest. Logan Simpson was named APS’s Diverse Supplier of the Year in 2014.