Technical Appendices: Ambrosia-Coronado 230kV Transmission Project Alternatives Evaluation and Macro Corridor Analysis

Summary

This document describes the study methods and results of the regional environmental baseline studies conducted for the Ambrosia-Coronado 230kV Transmission Project between November 1989 and March 1990. The focus of the regional data collection effort was to identify environmental resources and features that would assist in developing locations for alternative transmission line corridors within the defined study area. The purpose of this section is to describe the regional scale visual resources study including an inventory and determination of visual sensitivity levels. For this approach, visual resources were organized into three general categories: (1) existing agency documentation, (2) landscape components, and (3) sensitive viewpoints and visual sensitivity. After the data were collected, components of each resource were assigned sensitivity levels to identify constraints and opportunities for the construction and operation of the proposed 230kV transmission line.

More than 200 cultural resource inventories reported by approximately 180 different senior authors have been documented in the computerized ARMS files maintained by the Laboratory of Anthropology, Museum of New Mexico and the computerized AZSITE files maintained at the Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona. Most of these were undertaken during the last 20 years. Many other surveys have been conducted over the years, but their scope and intensity is not well documented. Overall the well documented surveys have encompassed no more than approximately 20 square miles—which represents less than one percent of the study area. Biological resource data for the study area were obtained from the scientific literature, existing Dames & Moore files, aerial photography, and state and federal agencies in Arizona and New Mexico. Agency personnel were asked to provide information on potential or known occurrences of sensitive species of wildlife and plants and habitats of concern in the study area. The following agencies provided information for this report: New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMGF); Arizona Department of Game and Fish (ADGF); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Ecological Services, Albuquerque and Phoenix Offices; USFS, Cibola National Forest, Mount Taylor Ranger District; BLM, Rio Puerco Resource Area; NPS, El Morro National Monument; State of New Mexico, Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department; BIA, Zuni Fish and Wildlife Department. A list of agency contacts is presented at the end of this section.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Salt River Project Digital Library

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Salt River Project Cultural Resource Manager

Repository(s): Salt River Project, Tempe, AZ

Prepared By(s): Public Service Company of New Mexico; Plains Generation and Transmission Cooperative, Inc.

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