Industrial Sector

Harwood Rail Spur, Gonzales County, Texas

Issue: Goshawk conducted an Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) of a 200-acre tract to identify potential protected resources and/or other possible development constraints for a proposed rail spur right-of-way (ROW) and associated structures. The access road for the site traversed a Waters of the US, which required US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) authorization for minor impacts via Nationwide Permit 14. As part of permit compliance, Goshawk conducted a cultural resource archival review. This review determined that the ROW and other portions of the site presented a moderate probability for the presence of buried cultural resources. 

Action:  A series of shovel tests were conducted, according to Council of Texas Archeologists (CTA) guidelines, to evaluate areas with moderate probability of holding buried artifacts. Significant portions of the site did not require a survey based on these soil types.

Outcome: No resources were identified, Nationwide Permit authorization was obtained, and the project was recommended to proceed as proposed.