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Vantage to Pomona Heights Chapter 4 230 kV Transmission Line Project FEIS Environmental Consequences PAGE 4-257 Low - A low impact to cultural resources would result if the construction, operation, or maintenance of the proposed Project would potentially cause any amount of ground disturbance or visual change on land that has been surveyed for cultural resources and appears not to contain any cultural resources or land that has not been surveyed for cultural resources and has a low potential for containing any. No Identifiable - No identifiable impact would be indicated where no measurable or suspected adverse impact would occur to any cultural resources. These areas would include only land where past disturbance, either human-caused or natural, precludes any possibility of containing intact cultural resources. Other factors could be used to differentiate the level of impacts on cultural resources (e.g., site density, site size, site type). However, inconsistencies over the past 50 years in how data were recorded by archaeologists means that such an analysis might not be reliable. 4.11.3 Impacts Common to All Route Segments 4.11.3.1 Physical Impacts It can be assumed that the proposed Project has the potential to cause physical damage to archeological sites in each of the route segments. Even after areas have been surveyed for cultural resources, there would still be potential for undiscovered cultural resources because some archaeological sites are obscured by vegetation or are deeply buried. Physical damage to architectural resources is not expected to occur in any of the route segments because there would be no buildings within 75 feet of the centerline of any route segment except for the Vantage Substation. Physical impacts could occur at TCPs within the 150-foot ROW corridor of a route segment. 4.11.3.2 Visual Impacts As most archaeological sites that are determined to be eligible to the National Register have received that determination because of their potential to contain important information about our past (Criterion D), changes in visual setting at an archaeological site would be unlikely to be considered an impact. Therefore, none of the route segments would have visual impacts on archaeological sites that are eligible to the National Register only under Criterion D. Visual impacts to as yet undocumented architectural resources and to TCPs that are eligible to the National Register are possible near some of the route segments. 4.11.3.3 Native American Concerns Transmission line structures have the potential to cause physical and visual impacts on TCPs and other resources of special concern to Native Americans. Such resources have been identified at some, but not every, route segment. Consultation by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is on-going. Refer to Section 3.11.4.5 for more information on Native American Rights and Interests. 4.11.4 Impacts Specific to Route Segments As previously stated, for the purpose of this FEIS, the Project study area for cultural resources included both a 150-foot wide corridor (75 feet to each side of the Action Alternative route segment centerlines) and a 500-foot wide corridor (250 feet to either side of the Action Alternative route segment centerlines). Previously identified cultural resources occur within 750 feet of the route segment centerlines that have DAHP-defined buffers that may extend into the 150-foot ROW corridor (Project study area). However, these buffers are not included in the analysis as the resources are outside the potential area of impact associated with the Project.