This document is a technical report that discusses the archaeological studies carried out on Lompoc Mesa, South Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB}, and in the City of Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, California, in support of the United States Air Force (USAF) installation of a natural gas (NG) pipeline. The proposed pipeline originates in Lompoc, California, and passes near a number of previously recorded historic properties. site SBa-219, located on the floodplain of the Santa Ynez cultural properties investigated are located along the coastal margin of Lompoc Mesa, with the majority occurring in or near Bear Creek Canyon. The investigation included: (1) a pedestrian survey of previously unsurveyed portions of the alignment; (2) subsurface testing to evaluate potential effects to 14 sites along both the proposed right-of-way (ROW) and an abandoned alternative; (3) subsurface testing of unregistered, but potentially affected, properties to provide data to assess resource potential for listing in the National Register of Historic Places {NRHP) (i.e., site significance); and (4) subsurface testing to provide data to support development of a research design and treatment plan for the mitigation of adverse effects to affected properties. The archaeological investigations conducted include an archival search for previously recorded properties on or near the ROW and a pedestrian survey of previously unsurveyed portions of the ROW and an alternative to identify unrecorded properties. Testing for effects from pipeline construction was completed at 14 sites (originally 15, but two sites were redefined into one property) located on or near the ROW or its abandoned alternative. Additional testing of unregistered properties to provide data to assess the NRHP eligibility potential for those sites that might suffer adverse effects, and testing of NRHP eligible properties was accomplished to provide data to support a treatment plan.
Parsons et al. (Fri,) studied this question.