ML18017A141

Comments on NUREG-0564,App B Re Archaelogical Survey of Pond Hill Reservoir Location.Plan Is Preliminary Rept Containing No Factual Info Re Prehistoric Matl That Might Be Found

ML18017A141
Person / Time
Site:	Susquehanna
Issue date:	04/17/1980
From:	Solenberger R BLOOMSBURG UNIV., BLOOMSBURG, PA (FORMERLY BLOOMSBURG
To:	Sells D Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
References
RTR-NUREG-0564, RTR-NUREG-564 NUDOCS 8004280492
Download: ML18017A141 (4)

Text

l'ORY INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (R IDS)

I;~"I I REGUI A ACCESS ION NBR '004280492 OOC ~ OA TE 80/04/1 7 IVOTAR I ZED NO'OCKET ¹ FACIL:50- Susauenanna Steam Electric Station~ Unit 1~ Pennsylva 05000387 0 38 Susquehanna Steam Electric Stationp Unit 2i Pennsylva 05000388 AUI AUTHOR AFFILIATION SOL'KNUERGKRRR. 81OOmaberg State COllege RECIP.luAME RECT< IENT AFFILIATION SKLLSED ~ ED Environmental Projects Branch 2

SUBJECT:

Comments NUREG 0564RAop B re archaeological survey of Pond Hill Reservoir location. Plan is preliminary rept containing no factual info re prehistoric matl that might be found, DISTRIBUTION CODE: C0020 COPIES RECEIVED:LTR TITLE; Environ, Comments.

g ENCL JQ SIZE i NDTEB:~pa. g ~~ gy~ a'aRt v~u. gpiprs RECIPIENT COPIES RECIPIENT COPIES ID CODE/NAME LTTR EN L IO CODE/'lAME LTTR EN ACTION: 05 PM /Yj/A/8+ 1 17 BC LLtJR 4B 1 18 LA C,Su@ 4H 1 AD C.Cu< 1 INTERNAL: 0 RKG FILE 1 02 NRC PDR .

0 2 09 ENYN SPEC BR 10 CST BNFT ANL 12 GEOSC IKN BR 13 HYDRO METEOR 1 14 ACDENT ANALY 15 KFLT TRT SYS 1 16 RAD ASMT BR 19 DIR DSK 1 AD ENVIRON) TECH AD SITE ANALY 1 OFLO EXTERNAL: 03 LPOR 04 NSIC 20 NATL LAB ACRS

~ dent 8.

8'PB&~ ~

~. 883 cd)9 EI B APR 29 t98Q gI TOTAL NUMBER OF COPIES REQUIRED: LTTR ~ ENCL

BLOOMSBuRG STATE COLLEGEResidence:

50 Franklin St Hloomsbarg, Pennsylvania 17815 Bloomsburg PA 17815 phone:(717 ysSb-0267 OEPARTHENT OF ~s, I~sqf PEILOSOPHY. 8C ANTHROPOLOGY 17 April 1980

."h . Donald E. Sells, Acting Branch Chief Environmental Projects Branch 2 Division of Site Safety Ec Environmental Analysis U. S. Neuclear Regulatory Commissions Wl shington, D. C. 20555 Docket Nos, 50-387 8c 50-388

Dear Nr,

Sells:

Thank you for sending me the supplement to the Dreft Environ mental Statement relating to the Susauehanna Steam Electric Station at Bell Hend (NUREG-0564, docket nos. above). This document concerns the possible construction of a reservoir at Pond Hill, across the river from the generating plant now under construction. 1 have read with great interest Appendix B, a plan for an archeological survey of the Pond Hill Reservoir location, by Curtis E. Larsen, who to be a competent "contract archeologist" in Jackson, ?vIich, ap-'ears IbIy comments on this are: (A) this is merely a preliminary "phase zero" lan containing no factual information 'about prenistoric materia t at might be Pound, yet states that a report of "on-ground survey work..., will be submitted to PP R 'L in the spring of 1980";

and (B.) although the Luzerne County Court House is mentioned as a source of cultural resource information (page B<<3), neither tne 3'/yoming Historical and Geological Society (which has published ex-tensively on local archeology), nor the Frances Dorrance Chapter No~

ll of the Society for Pennsylvania Archeology, which usual.

in its build'ng (on Franklin St. in 3'iilkes-Barre, next doorlyto the meets

. Osterhout Library mentioned in your Notice of Availability,- page 7590-01), is mentioned as an institutional source of information, Nr. Larson, being based in ivIichigan, would start from scratch, where-as members of these two organizations have devoted years of resear'ch to the history and pre-history of the Susauehanna valley, and are ac-customed to record and publish their results on a professional level; Two members of SPA Chapter No. 11 are college teachers of archeology, and are experienced at directing both surveys and excavations. ln this region we have an excellent tradition of collabo ation between amateur and profess5.onal archeologists, who join in registering their findings with the Pao Histori'cal and Museum Commission+ lf i>Ir. Larsen is to do either inventory or salvage archeology, qualified local ar-cheologists should make up his paid staff, rather than exclusively outsiders.

m Co. and lt is itsencouraging to learn that the Pennsylvania Power and associates are now being encouraged U. N.

Light by S. R. Co 5& to work at such a professional level in surveying the archeological value of the Pond Hill location, presumably to be followed up by y/O eaually careful "Phase Three" excavation of any significant remains found within the "take area," dam site, etc, Unfortunately, l have been rel'bly informed that recent construction activities by,PP 8c L 8o'o4p80 +9Z

Sells 4./17/SO on both sides of the river have beqn started in violation of Pennsylvan'a antiquities laws in force for over;;decade, and such violations are still continuing at this writing, Steel towers f~or transmission lines have been erected on both sides of the river with excavations~grom~~hich competent amateur archeologists saw important cultural artifacts,~"sdch 'is prehistoric pottery and, in one case at least, human bones from ari Indian burial, with no attempt on the part of construction crews to salvage these materials It was only after one of these amateurs made repeated approaches to the PP 8t: L Co. headouarters in Allentown concerning disturbance of burials by tower construction across the river from Bell Bend that archeologists on the staff of the Pa. State His'toriciX R Museum Commission were contac>>

ted, so that a salvage program paid for by PP L was eventually set up 8c, in the summer of 1975. 'dhy had PP 8c L failed to notify the State Museum before starting to dig for foundations? And why were the State archeolo-gists so out of touch with PP 8c L's con50ruction plans that they did not themselves previously initiate an intensive (at least Phase Two) survey that would surely have revealed these burials, in one of the richest known archeological areas in the Susquehanna valley? It has even been sug-gested that the Pa. State Museum archeological staff sought to limit the extent of the 197S excavation, not because no more valuable early historic material could be found, but to save money for PP 8c L, and that their cur-rent disinterest in reouiring PP & L to do salvage archeology at the recreational area now under construction on the right bank of the river has the same purpose. If I misunderstand the present role of the State Museum archeologists, I should apologize. I am sending a copy of this letter to Dr. Barry Kent in Harrisburg for his comments.

I believe the guidelines which should be followed in case of construc-tion by utilities should be substantially those of the Interagency Arche-ological Service, U. ST Dept. of the Interior, <>lashington, D. C 20242, If these guidelines are not be'ng followed at Bell Bend I should appre-ciate knowing why. Specifically, I should like to hear from both the PP 2 L Co. and the Pa. Sthene Museum why no salvage archeology is being done in the field betweenthe Susauehanna Steam Electric construction sita and the river. The same archeologist s, Barry Kent and Ira F. Smith III, where on the staff when one or more sites, including "36 LU 16", were registered tnere. Archeological files in the state museum must still con-tain my own typed report on two testpits which my students and I sunk in that field, near the old Thomas Fahringer house, on Dec, 9, 1967. Accurate location data obtained with su veying instruments was included with the report. I retain the field notes and diagrams. Diagrams were drawn by an advanced student of art and archeology, David Gerhard, who has taught art at Niddletown, PA. The vertical cross-section of one of the test pits distinguishes by color and texture four distinct soil levels within the first 22 inchesogg@QQy'+~ In the lower levels of this excavation, evidences of prehistoric human occupation included fire-cracked hearth stones, charcoal, and worked stone chips, such as rhyolite. In the surface of that part of the field several local collectors, including Gerhard, have found numerous "Archaid" period stone artifacts, such as a Brewerton Side-notched point, and various stone knives. In 1967, officials of the

, PP 8c L Co. were sufficiently imp essed with with what the BSC Archeology Project had found in the field now being developed for picnicing, etc. that the head real estate man of the company came from Allentown to meet with me, and it was implied that I an my student crew might be hired in the summer of 1968 to do salvage archeology there, Thief was not done largely begause the archeological staff of the State Museum had other plans and declined to give even remote supervision to.the project. Th clarify the

ge3.1s 4/17/80 3 statement 1 signed and gave to a representative of the PP R L Co. in 1967-"68, to the effect that the BSC Archeology Project had no further plans to excavate in the area mentioned (36 LU 16), and that I felt no delay in construction plans would be needed, was based in part on my inabU.ity to gain the cooperation of the State His,scum in. this project, and in part on my understanding at the time that the entire area was about to be permenently fenced in and closed to the public because of impending construction plans. As shown by the site report I submitted to the State museum, I certainly did not mean tnat the site was of no arche ological interest,

'ifithin the last; few years, experienced amateur archeologists affiliated with Chapter No. 11 of the Society for Pa. Archeology have seen Indian pottery come out of the ground when steel transmission towers were construc-ted in the flat land between the Bell Bend generating plant and the river, at or near the place wnere picnic tables and shelters are now being built for a recreation area. This snows that "Noodland" period cultural remains, as well as those of the pre-agricultural "Archaic," are present in the vi~inity of the area set aside for r creation. It is my strong recommenda-tion that, the PP 8c L Co now revert to its usual conservation-minded role, as exemplified so well at the Indian Steps Museum farther down the Susoue-hanna, and at the Nontour Preserve (where I have also recommended further archeological reconnaissance and a museum presentation of Indian history),

by (A) funding thorough archeological salvage excavation on all parts of the flat area between highway gll and the river, and {B) installing a "trailside" archeological museum exhibit of the archeology of the Bell Hend Ec Council Cup region. If visitors are to be invited, areheological interest should be an added attraction, Indiredtly, visitors might come to feel that the vicinity of an atomic plant is not too dangerous after all~

Chapter No. 11 of the Society for Pennsylvania Archeology, based in

':H.lkes-Barre, is nam d for the late Frances Dorrance, who pioneered in legislation mandating preservation of historical and archeological materi-als and in making archeology an important concern of the Pa. State Histori-cal 8c Museum Commission. It se ms that the chapter of which Li'liss Dorx.ance remained for many years a member is called upon again to make sure that whatever possible is being done to sa eguard the prehistoric early historic cultural treasures of the Susouehanna valley, and. to and make them available for educational purposes, In order to suggest that the Chapter, of which I am a member, take appropriate action, I am sending a copy of this letter to its Prediident, i>Ir. Theron I. Knouse, Jr., 'dapwallopen, PA, 18660 (phone: 717-379<<3949). '4r. iQfnouse is a serious student of colonial and prehistoric anti)cities, with training and experience in archeology~

Sincerely, fi'~4~-V~'-~ g~~+~

cc: PP 8c L, Allentown Robert R. Solenberger B. Kent, Harrisburg Assoc. Prof. of Anthropology T. Ie Knouse, 3'iapwallopen