5900 36TH AVE W SEPA 015 - 034 - SOUNDVIEW BUSINESS CAMPUS - VERITAS Land Use Decision Documents 2025-04-22

To be eligible for its architectural merits under Criterion (c), a resource must retain its physical features that constitute a significant construction technique or architectural style. Critical aspects of integrity for such properties are design, workmanship, and materials. Location and setting will also be important for those resources whose design reflects their immediate environment. Resources significant under Criterion (d) may not have the type of integrity described under the other criterion. Of the seven aspects of integrity, location, design, materials, and possibly workmanship are the most important. Archaeological Expectations Soils and Geomorphological Context Given the presence of mapped soils indicative of ancient glacial till terrace (Alderwood and Alderwood-Everett gravelly sandy loam), primary soil deposition in this location, which is sterile glacial till, would have occurred long before human habitation. Some post -glacial shallow soil within the forest and wetland environment of the terrace cover the glacial till and might contain evidence of patterned human behavior, including expressions of episodes of resource gathering and/or processing, travel or short-term/single-use camp sites represented by lithic scatters, and/or small concentrations of fire -modified rocks (FMR). The absence of recorded trail systems and/or freshwater sources in the terrace uplands make the project area an unlikely location for any of these types of resources. As indicated in Table 1, from 5,000 years ago to the early contact period large village occupation sites generally occurred in lowland areas, were associated with fish weirs, and were typically located adjacent to or near river or marine transportation routes. Occupation of upland terrace locations would most likely have occurred 15,000-5,000 years ago; these sites are represented by temporary camps and lithic workshops. Expected artifact assemblages would include flaked stone tools, cobble tools, large -animal bones, and fish bones. Anaerobic conditions in wetlands often provide good preservation of cellulose and other plant fibers (Diedrich 2013). However, soil pH' is a better indicator of whether or not an area is preservative for other organic materials, such as bone or shell. According to Deborah Surabian (2011:4): The pH of soil has the largest influence on bone preservation, with preservation ' generally advantageous in soils above pH 5.3 and adverse in soils pH 5.3 or less. Soils containing a highly acidic pH will decompose bone rapidly ... If the soil is neutral or basic, a buried skeleton may persist for centuries in good condition. In a corrosive ' soil environment, it is clear that, irrespective of taphonomy, the outcome will be the same: catastrophic mineral dissolution. ' The potentially artifact -bearing soils consist of a very shallow layer of soil that would have provided little protection for cultural deposits, if any were present. Additionally, the glacially derived soils mapped in the project area would poorly preserve organic materials, as soil conditions are not ' anaerobic and the soil pH values range from strongly to moderately acidic. The hydric soils mapped in the central and southeastern portion of the APE, while likely to present anaerobic conditions, are moderately acidic in the upper layers and slightly acidic in the deeper layers. This means that I A pH less than 7 is acidic and a pH greater than 7 is basic or alkaline. Tierra Archaeological Report No. 2014-077 17