North Peoria Area Drainage Master Plan - Flood Control District of ...

ing them before they are destroyed in order togather relevant information.The Cultural Resources Overview is based ona literature review of existing archeologicaldatabases. The overview describes the locationand significance of known culturalresources. Of the 46,720 acres within thestudy area approximately 7,703 acres havebeen previously surveyed. This computes toapproximately 17 percent coverage of theproject area, with 83 percent of the project areanot surveyed. A total of 239 surveys wereaccomplished within the project area, ofwhich 325 archaeological sites were observed,with 278 of those prehistoric, 35 of those historic,and 12 of those multi-component sites.Figure 12 displays the location of archeologicalsites in the project area determined fromthe overview.LANDSCAPE CHARACTER AND VISUALRESOURCESLandscape Characterand VisualResources Assessmentevaluationsare conducted aspart of the NorthPeoria ADMP forthe purpose to:• Assess the scenicqualities/attractivenessof the existingnatural and culturalfeatures.6SULQJ)ORZHUV• Assess the existing visual conditions orscenic integrity.• Identify existing major viewing points andlandmarks with the intent that they befocal points for possible flood controlmanagement alternatives.• Develop landscape character themes(including existing, future, and historic)that could be incorporated into the designof flood control management alternatives.• To aid in the development of landscapedesign guidelines that will achieve thedesired character theme(s) as they applyto possible flood control managementalternatives.Visual resources are defined by the scenicquality/attractiveness of the natural and culturalfeatures of an area. Loosely defined scenicattractiveness rates the inherentattractiveness of a landscape on a scale of (A)distinctive, common, (B) typical, or (C) indistinctive.Landforms such as mountain peaksand ridges, plains, valleys, and washes aretaken into consideration along with the presenceof water in defining scenic attractiveness.Criteria published in the Landscape CharacterTypes of the National Forest in Arizona andNew Mexico by the USDA Forest Service(1989) were utilized to rate scenic attractiveness.Figure 13 displays scenic attractivenessclassifications for the study area.8SSHU0RUJDQ&LW\:DVK:DWHUVKHGLandscape character units for the study areaare defined utilizing criteria per the LandscapeAesthetics Handbook #701 publishedby the USDA Forest Services (1995). Landscapecharacter is the “particular attributes,qualities and traits of a landscape that give animage and make it identifiable or unique”. Inthe project area landscape character units arebased on tectonic provinces, vegetation typesand existing land use. Within the project areasix existing landscape character units were11