Agua Fria Energy Storage Project in Peoria, Arizona

Andrew Vorsanger; AES Clean Energy

Agua Fria Energy Storage Project in Peoria, Arizona

Summary

AES proposes to develop the Agua Fria Energy Storage Project adjacent to the Arizona Public Service Company’s Raceway Substation in the City of Peoria, Maricopa County, Arizona. The proposed battery storage facility will be located on private land north of the Raceway Substation, with use of an existing access road within Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) administered land for the Central Arizona Project (CAP), located southeast of the substation. No specific project design for the battery storage facility is currently available, but the proposed construction activities would take place within the boundary on private land. Approximately 1,350 feet of the dirt access road is proposed to be improved by softening an existing steep embankment and compacting the roadway for use by large vehicles. Disturbance and construction within the APE would be subject to appropriate zoning and planning regulations.

The project requires compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (Title 54 USC 306108), as well as municipal rezoning, which is subject to review under the City of Peoria’s Desert Lands Conservation Overlay (Article 14-22B, Ordinance 04-201). AES contracted with SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) to complete a cultural resources inventory to identify cultural resources in the APE and evaluate them as potential historic properties (i.e., properties listed in or eligible for the Arizona Register of Historic Places [ARHP] or the National Register of Historic Places [NRHP]).

The proposed battery storage facility will be located within approximately 12.7 acres of private land north of the Raceway Substation, with use of an access road within 13.2 acres of BOR administered land for the CAP, located southeast of the proposed facility. Combined, this area makes up the 25.9-acre area of potential effects (APE).

An approximately 0.66-mile-long (2.3 acres) existing access road that crosses over private land and land managed by the BOR was also surveyed, though ultimately removed from the APE. Although this access road is no longer part of the current project design, the results of the survey are still presented in this report.

Dates of Fieldwork: November 4, 2021, March 14, 2022, and December 7, 2022

The Class III pedestrian survey of the APE and non-project survey area resulted in the identification of three previously recorded sites, two historic-era in-use structures, and two IOs. The sites consist of a Hohokam artifact scatter (AZ T:3:14[ASM]), a Hohokam farmstead (AZ T:3:19[ASM]), and an abandoned canal segment (AZ T:3:55[ASM]). The historic-era in-use structures consist of a segment of the Beardsley Canal and the Deer Valley to Sycamore Transmission Line. The two IOs consist of prehistoric ceramics and flaked stone. Four previously recorded sites plotted within the APE (3.41[SIU], 3.42[SIU], AZ T:3:15[ASM], and AZ T:3:364[ASM]) were not re-located.

Site AZ T:3:14(ASM) and the historic-era Deer Valley to Sycamore Transmission Line (AZ O:9:8[ASM]) are recommended not eligible for listing in the ARHP/NRHP. Two segments of the Beardsley Canal (AZ T:3:55[ASM]) were recorded. Segment 1 is part of the abandoned alignment and Segment 2 is part of the in-use historical alignment. Both segments are recommended as contributing to the overall eligibility of the property under Criterion A. Site AZ T:3:19(ASM) is recommended to remain eligible for listing in the ARHP/NRHP under Criterion D, but retains no integrity for the portion of the site within the APE.

SWCA recommends that the abandoned segment of the Beardsley Canal be avoided by proposed project activities, with an archaeological monitor required to ensure avoidance if ground-disturbing activities are anticipated to be within 15 m (50 feet) of the segment. SWCA also recommends that for site AZT:3:19(ASM), proposed project activities be limited to the portion of the APE that has been previously subjected to archaeological data recovery. If these recommendations cannot be followed, a historic properties treatment plan may be necessary to mitigate adverse effects to these properties. The site and structures that are recommended not eligible do not qualify as historic properties, and no further work or protections are recommended at this time.

If previously undocumented buried cultural resources are identified during ground-disturbing activities, all work must immediately cease within 30 m (100 feet) until a qualified archaeologist has documented the discovery and evaluated its eligibility for the ARHP/NRHP. Work may not resume in this area without approval of the lead agency. If human remains are exposed during ground-disturbing activities, all work must immediately cease within 30 m (100 feet) of the exposure. The ASM or the BOR, and appropriate Tribes, must be notified of the encounter within 24 hours (following ASM and/or BOR protocol). All encounters on private land will be treated in accordance with ARS 41-865, and encounters on BOR-managed land should be treated with dignity and respect pursuant to 43 Code of Federal Regulations 10 (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1991, as amended). Work must not resume in this area without proper authorization from the ASM or the BOR.