Archaeological Testing of Soils Test Pits for Proposed Development of a Wetlands and Recharge Basin at AZ AA:12:90

Summary

In an effort to provide the City of Tucson with water dining the next century, the City, in conjunction with Tucson Water, has developed several plans designed to recharge the aquifer and provide the City of Tucson with quality water. As part of this effort, the City plans to develop a wetlands area and a separate recharge basin in the area south of the City's reclaimed water treatment plant. Tucson Water has hired CH2MHill as the design consultant for this project.

On October 3, 1994, Desert Archaeology was contacted by CH2MHill regarding planned soils testing in the project area. The consultant needed to excavate backhoe trenches designed to expose the subsurface sediments in an effort to determine the best locations for wetlands development and recharge basins on the property. Desert Archaeology was hired to conduct archaeological testing in advance of the soils testing conducted by CH2MHill. Our primary objective was to locate a total of 30 trenches which could be given archaeological clearance for deeper excavation by CH2MHU1. Our secondary objectives were to determine the extent to which the known surface distribution of artifacts reflects subsurface presence, and, as part of Desert Archaeology's long-term interest in the geomorphology and archaeology of the Santa Cruz floodplain, to determine what correlations could be made between archaeological discoveries elsewhere on the floodplain and those in the vicinity of the reclaimed water treatment plant.

Although few archaeological materials were discovered during this testing operation, subsurface geologic and archaeological indications suggest a high potential for intact cultural remains in at least part of the project area. This report provides an archaeological background of the project area, a summary of previous work in the area, the geomorphic background, a description of the testing methods and results, a summary of archaeological research potential, and recommendations. The appendix provides a detailed description of the more representative trenches.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Desert Archaeology DAHA Resources   •
• Digital Archive of Huhugam Archaeology (DAHA)

Keywords

Temporal Coverage

Calendar Date: 1000 to 1150 (Sherd age)

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Desert Archaeology, Inc.

Prepared By(s): Desert Archaeology, Inc.

Submitted To(s): The City of Tucson

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