bedrock bubba
Sr. Member
- Jun 27, 2010
- 446
- 396
After years of sucessfull operation, the Blue Lead Mine got its full permits! That''s after much gnashing of teeth and hand wringing by enviro's and monkey wrenchers. I was told by my super sleuth that they are taking a lot of gold out of there. It's old hydraulic diggings in the Red Dog area near Nevada City, CA.
I'm just wondering how they will get all the mercury out of the dirt, and possible cadmium? And is this a turn around for Nevada County to finally be pro gold mining? It just galls me to no end that they allow mines like this, but will not allow our little gold dredges to go in and clean up the mercury, lead, and fishermen's trash!
The Nevada County Planning Commission approved a use permit for the Blue Lead Mine, roughly seven miles east of Nevada City on Red Dog Road, at its meeting Thursday afternoon.
The project will excavate a total of 4.5 million cubic yards in five phases over 20 years, and it includes a reclamation plan.
The commission also approved a mitigated negative declaration for the project, as well as a proposal to rezone the property as a mineral extraction combining district.
The Blue Lead’s current owner plans to excavate materials that have already been mined in the past to collect any remaining gold left behind by the mine’s previous operators.
The surface-mining project calls for using bulldozers and other earth-moving equipment to dig up gravel, transport it to a sifting apparatus, and sort out any gold.
Sifted soil will be kept on site and used to fill in the excavated area when the mining project is complete.
“Ultimately, the clean mine waste will be returned to the extracted area and used as backfill, and before it gets deemed clean, it has to go through the provisions of the regional water quality control board,” said senior planner Tod Herman.
The reclamation plan also calls for revegetation; a test plot will be used to determine the most appropriate and effective mix of native plant species for this location.
The Blue Lead Mine, formerly known as the Golden Girl Mine, was hydraulically mined beginning in the 1880s and remained active until sometime in the 1930s.
During that era, mercury was used as part of the recovery process for smaller particles of gold.
As a result, mercury contamination may be an issue going forward.
“Part of this mining operation will need to look at whatever mercury residual might be left,” Herman said.
During public comment, neighbors raised concerns about noise and potential environmental degradation as a result of water runoff.
Questions were also raised about whether or not the project applicant could be trusted to follow through on stated plans for cleanup. “Nevada County has a legacy of mines that don’t follow through on their commitments and leave the cleanup for others to pay for,” said Ray Bryars of Nevada City, citing the Lava Cap Mine and ongoing litigation between the City of Grass Valley and the Newmont Mining Corporation.
“These are companies that in their day convinced Nevada County officials that they would be good guys and clean up their mess, but sadly did not follow through as promised,” Bryars added.
That sentiment was echoed in the county’s staff report, written by Tod Herman.
“A lingering concern staff has with all smaller gold mining operations is that very few of these smaller gold mining operations tend to truly evaluate the entire site with a drilling and sampling program to assess the volumes and depth of the mineral deposits before factoring those results (gains) against the actual operating costs (losses) associated with the project,” Herman wrote.
That cost of cleanup may be resolved by the Financial Assurance Cost Estimate, which guarantees available funds to the lead agency responsible for cleanup.
This money is typically provided in the form of a security bond, a letter of credit, certificate of deposit, or cash.
In 2009, the cost associated with this project was estimated at less than $36,500 — but county staff believes that sum would only cover reclaiming the mine in an idle status.
During closing comments, Commissioner Douglas Donesky called the Blue Lead Mine a pioneering project, and expressed hope that the project applicant would create a model for other retired mine sites in the area.
“Please do a really amazing job of it so that some of the moonscapes can be restored here, and we can have some economic activity without causing heartburn for the neighbors and people who want to protect our county,” Donesky said.
“We’re very pleased with the outcome,” applicant Bob White said.
Roughly 25 people were in attendance for the public hearing.
To contact staff writer Dave Brooksher, call 530-477-4230 or [email protected].
I'm just wondering how they will get all the mercury out of the dirt, and possible cadmium? And is this a turn around for Nevada County to finally be pro gold mining? It just galls me to no end that they allow mines like this, but will not allow our little gold dredges to go in and clean up the mercury, lead, and fishermen's trash!
The Nevada County Planning Commission approved a use permit for the Blue Lead Mine, roughly seven miles east of Nevada City on Red Dog Road, at its meeting Thursday afternoon.
The project will excavate a total of 4.5 million cubic yards in five phases over 20 years, and it includes a reclamation plan.
The commission also approved a mitigated negative declaration for the project, as well as a proposal to rezone the property as a mineral extraction combining district.
The Blue Lead’s current owner plans to excavate materials that have already been mined in the past to collect any remaining gold left behind by the mine’s previous operators.
The surface-mining project calls for using bulldozers and other earth-moving equipment to dig up gravel, transport it to a sifting apparatus, and sort out any gold.
Sifted soil will be kept on site and used to fill in the excavated area when the mining project is complete.
“Ultimately, the clean mine waste will be returned to the extracted area and used as backfill, and before it gets deemed clean, it has to go through the provisions of the regional water quality control board,” said senior planner Tod Herman.
The reclamation plan also calls for revegetation; a test plot will be used to determine the most appropriate and effective mix of native plant species for this location.
The Blue Lead Mine, formerly known as the Golden Girl Mine, was hydraulically mined beginning in the 1880s and remained active until sometime in the 1930s.
During that era, mercury was used as part of the recovery process for smaller particles of gold.
As a result, mercury contamination may be an issue going forward.
“Part of this mining operation will need to look at whatever mercury residual might be left,” Herman said.
During public comment, neighbors raised concerns about noise and potential environmental degradation as a result of water runoff.
Questions were also raised about whether or not the project applicant could be trusted to follow through on stated plans for cleanup. “Nevada County has a legacy of mines that don’t follow through on their commitments and leave the cleanup for others to pay for,” said Ray Bryars of Nevada City, citing the Lava Cap Mine and ongoing litigation between the City of Grass Valley and the Newmont Mining Corporation.
“These are companies that in their day convinced Nevada County officials that they would be good guys and clean up their mess, but sadly did not follow through as promised,” Bryars added.
That sentiment was echoed in the county’s staff report, written by Tod Herman.
“A lingering concern staff has with all smaller gold mining operations is that very few of these smaller gold mining operations tend to truly evaluate the entire site with a drilling and sampling program to assess the volumes and depth of the mineral deposits before factoring those results (gains) against the actual operating costs (losses) associated with the project,” Herman wrote.
That cost of cleanup may be resolved by the Financial Assurance Cost Estimate, which guarantees available funds to the lead agency responsible for cleanup.
This money is typically provided in the form of a security bond, a letter of credit, certificate of deposit, or cash.
In 2009, the cost associated with this project was estimated at less than $36,500 — but county staff believes that sum would only cover reclaiming the mine in an idle status.
During closing comments, Commissioner Douglas Donesky called the Blue Lead Mine a pioneering project, and expressed hope that the project applicant would create a model for other retired mine sites in the area.
“Please do a really amazing job of it so that some of the moonscapes can be restored here, and we can have some economic activity without causing heartburn for the neighbors and people who want to protect our county,” Donesky said.
“We’re very pleased with the outcome,” applicant Bob White said.
Roughly 25 people were in attendance for the public hearing.
To contact staff writer Dave Brooksher, call 530-477-4230 or [email protected].
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