G. Impact on Recreational, Historical, and Archeological, Aesthetic and Conservation Resources

1. Beach and Shoreline Recreation

If pipelines which result from this sale are brought ashore

in a beach area used for recreation, there will be an impact on recrea

tional activities.

The area of a beach disturbed by pipeline construc

tion will be small (about 30-50 feet wide), and the first high tides following burial of the pipeline will serve to restore the beach terrain. Restoration of the beach ridge will take longer, most likely requiring a storm tide or high winds to obliterate the effects of excavation. Physical interference with recreational activities from excavation will

be minimal and short-lived.

If pipeline terminal or transfer facilities are located in or near a beach or other area used for recreation, there will be an adverse impact on recreational activities from disruption during the construction phase and elimination of about 40 acres per terminal plant for recreational uses. This latter impact would be long-term and restoration of the area, if attempted at all, would have to await depletion of the offshore production which the plant would be designed to serve. These impacts will diminish the quality of the area for recreational enjoyment.

The impacts of pipeline and terminal facilities construction on recreation could be mitigated somewhat if the appropriate governmental authorities were to allow this type of construction only during the time when recreational use of the area is at its lowest point.

The impacts from permanent terminal facilities could be mitigated somewhat by locating them at some distance inland where recreational use is State authorities may wish to consider this alternative.

not intense.

Water sports, such as swimming, diving, spearfishing, underwater photography, fishing for finfish and shellfish, boating and water skiing would also be directly affected by an oil spill.

Other seashore related activities such as beachcombing, shell collecting, painting, shoreline nature study, camping and sunbathing would be made much less attractive for an indeterminate period where an oil spill had coated a beach.

Removal of oil from beaches used for recreation in the area under con

sideration would probably involve removal of the contaminated sand and possibly, replacement of the sand if needed. The time required for clean-up in this case would depend on the extent of beach affected. Recreational use of the area would be precluded during the time that oil covered the beach and during the clean-up process also.

The impacts of an oil spill discussed above would be more keenly felt if the recreation area involved is intensively used or considered to have unique or outstanding recreational values, such as the beach area along Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula which serves as a popular recreation area for the large population of the Houston-Galveston metropolitan area. Not only would the impact be felt by the recreational users of the area, but, consequently, the community or businesses whose

economic well-being depends on use of their recreational resources

by tourists would be affected. If an oil spill were to cover

outstanding recreational beaches during the height of the recreational season, the impact could be expected to be more severe, in that residents and tourists would not be attracted to a beach area

contaminated by oil or undergoing a clean-up process, and there would be a resultant economic loss.

2.

Aesthetic and Scenic Values

If air quality permits unlimited visibility, some portion

of a one hundred foot structure can be seen from the beach if it is

located 17 miles or less from shore. Some people consider the sight of offshore equipment aesthetically unpleasant. Four of the 245 tracts included in this proposal are located at distances varying from 13 to 17 miles from shore, the shore in this case being that of Galveston

Island and Bolivar Peninsula.

Any floating material such as debris or oil that is cast up on the beach or washed into a bay would constitute an impact upon the aesthetic values for users or owners of the area.

Even after burial of the pipeline, the scars will cause an impact on the aesthetic values of the beach and associated dunes and sand flats. It is our estimation that the impact will endure for at least a year, until sand has been redistributed by wind, and tides, and another growing season brings about revegetation.

Revegetation of dunes crossed by pipelines would reduce adverse effects from an aesthetic and scenic viewpoint and would decrease the chance of destruction of the dunes by erosion. It is not, however, within the Federal Government's authority to require the revegetation of affected dunes unless they are on Federal lands. State or local authorities may require revegetation of dunes disrupted by pipeline installations.

There will be an adverse impact on aesthetic and scenic values resulting from construction of onshore terminal and product storage facilities, and pumping stations if these facilities are located in areas valued for their natural or scenic qualities. Some people will find the visual impact of these facilities aesthetically displeasing. There also may be

noise pollution associated with vehicular traffic to and from these facilities and noise pollution resulting from pumping stations that would reduce the serene and natural qualities of an aesthetically enjoyable area.

3. Historical or Archeological Sites and Objects

Impacts on these could stem from two sources. During an

oil spill, any objects coated with oil would obviously be rendered less useful and valuable and may not survive cleaning operations. In addition, porous items such as wood, pottery, or shell may be internally contaminated with oil and this might interfere with carbondating procedures.

During pipeline burial operations or construction of terminal, storage, or pumping facilities, as yet undiscovered archeological sites or objects

and shipwrecks may be damaged or destroyed.

Normal pipeline route

survey procedures usually include a magnetometer survey.

In this way,

all larger ferrous objects, including objects of historic or archeological value, are detected and avoided or investigated prior to actual laying operations. This survey would not reveal the presence of nonferrous objects, however. Therefore, it is likely that sites containing

archeological evidence of cultures which did not make use of metal,

i.e., the older, less well-known cultures, would not be detected by this

method.

Special surveys of onshore facility site locations and pipeline routes would have to be taken before any assurance that sites and objects of historical or archeological interest might not be destroyed or damaged.

Pipeline burial operations have the potential for damage or accidental destruction of as yet undiscovered sites which may be important to the understanding of prehistoric inhabitants of the area. The scope of the impact and its probability of occurrence is not possible to determine at this time. The impact may be mitigated to some degree if the appropriate state authorities are consulted as to the exact locations of known archeological sites or potential locations for undiscovered sites before any construction or pipeline burial is undertaken.

See Vol. 2; Sec.

V. D. 1. for a stipulation which will be applied to any lease resulting from this proposed sale for the protection of archeological,

architectural, or historical values.