oroville dam/feather river questions

[blackchipjim]

I was just wondering again in light of the massive spillway failure and subsequent release of the water downstream if anyone dared to look for nuggets. I'm not being insensitive to the plight of the communities affected but was curious to the overall situation there. The water has not be let off in that quantity in a good long time and wonder if anyone dared to look or was even allowed to putz around in the river. I would think when they shut it down this week someone would have the wherewithal to look..

 

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[goldog]

How close can one get? I'd sure want to get a look. It's not everyday you can explore when the spigot is turned off just after a flood.

 

[Laz7777]

I haven't been there in years..you could access the river from riverfront park, but it's closed due to the flooding.
another way on to the river is to park at walmart on oroville dam blvd., go past the southbound onramp to 70 and turn left down the path.
all about a 15-20 minute walk.
you'll have to beat the bushes a little to get near the rapids, when I was there I waded through a stagnant side-pool, but this must be under deep water now.
there was a small spit of land that was parallel to 70 and a cement plant, quite a few people working it. the guy who was doing the best was in the head of the rapids shoveling into 2 boxes he had banked in. there was a light clay holding the gold, broke up fairly fast in his boxes.
lots of blackberries to get through, maybe bringing a machete would help.
there's a road on the other bank, a look at a map would tell you where you can access, but that bank was steep and now deep water at the bottom.

 

[Bonaro]

The place I would want to poke around would be the newly exposed bedrock adjacent to the spillway. However, this land would be privately owned by the dam project and most likely very off limits to anyone.

 

[Bonaro]

Drone video of Oroville dam spillway damage

 

[boogeyman]

Can't vouch for the validity, but one of the so called conspiracy sites said there were "miners out with pans already". Anyone else hear anything along these lines? Was way under caffeinated and can't remember where I saw it.

 

[bcfromfl]

Can't vouch for the validity, but one of the so called conspiracy sites said there were "miners out with pans already". Anyone else hear anything along these lines? Was way under caffeinated and can't remember where I saw it.

Not sure if this is what you saw, but there is video at this link: Oroville's new gold rush | ABC10.com

 

[bcfromfl]

This article just popped up today: California?s Oroville Dam possibly washing up gold | CW39 NewsFix

 

[Hoser John]

Bureauratz on tv running around taking gold from miners and running them off as stated THEIR STATE PROPERTY sic sic sic sic

 

[boogeyman]

Bureauratz on tv running around taking gold from miners and running them off as stated THEIR STATE PROPERTY sic sic sic sic

Why does that not surprise me? Seeing as how the state is pretty much bankrupt.

Hey! Thanks guys for the updates!!!

 

[gldguy1]

Buddy of mine said he was run out from up there over same, saying it's the state property

 

[Bus1]

I stopped at Bed rock Park today and prospectors where out there . I talked to a couple that hiked into Feather Bend park and they said people where up and down the river .

 

[Clay Diggins]

I understand the speculation about the gold potential. It certainly is tempting to find out if there might be gold there. There is no history of gold on that hill but the old timers didn't get it all.

It's illegal trespass to prospect State or private property without written permission. Taking gold from private or State land without written permission is theft. That has always been the law in California.

ALL of the area around the dam is either State or private property.

Complain if you wish but bragging how you will be or have been prospecting there is painting miners as trespassing thieves and criminals.

You will steal other people's gold if you are a thief but please don't call yourself a miner. Miners in California are having a tough time convincing the public they aren't the enemy without trespassers and thieves claiming to be miners.

If you don't like the fact that California State lands can't be prospected lobby to get the law changed. If you can't wait for the several lifetimes that would take move to a mining friendly state where state land prospecting and mining leases are available to everyone with a few dollars.

If you don't want to leave California to find good gold - start prospecting public lands open to location. Or get permission from one of the many private landowners there to prospect their land. I see thousands of ounces found by independent prospectors from public lands open to location in California every year. Most of the gold in California is still in the ground. You don't need to trespass or steal to get gold in California. It just takes a little research and hard work.

It's still out there. Go get u sum!

Heavy Pans

 

[bcfromfl]

Yet another article appeared today with a bit more info: Flooding of Northern California waterways bring fresh prospects, adventures in gold mining

 

[mytimetoshine]

I understand the speculation about the gold potential. It certainly is tempting to find out if there might be gold there. There is no history of gold on that hill but the old timers didn't get it all.

It's illegal trespass to prospect State or private property without written permission. Taking gold from private or State land without written permission is theft. That has always been the law in California.

ALL of the area around the dam is either State or private property.

Complain if you wish but bragging how you will be or have been prospecting there is painting miners as trespassing thieves and criminals.

You will steal other people's gold if you are a thief but please don't call yourself a miner. Miners in California are having a tough time convincing the public they aren't the enemy without trespassers and thieves claiming to be miners.

If you don't like the fact that California State lands can't be prospected lobby to get the law changed. If you can't wait for the several lifetimes that would take move to a mining friendly state where state land prospecting and mining leases are available to everyone with a few dollars.

If you don't want to leave California to find good gold - start prospecting public lands open to location. Or get permission from one of the many private landowners there to prospect their land. I see thousands of ounces found by independent prospectors from public lands open to location in California every year. Most of the gold in California is still in the ground. You don't need to trespass or steal to get gold in California. It just takes a little research and hard work.

It's still out there. Go get u sum! [emoji106]

Heavy Pans

well said

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[63bkpkr]

There is a phrase for what happened at Orville Dam - "Government Oversight"! So the Governor of California did not see fit to fix the flaw in the Dam Thing (spillway) nor to fiscally take care of the State he is responsible for. Very very poor grade on his taking care of California!.................63bkpkr

 

[CA Gold Hunter]

They got that place on lockdown, if your not working on it your not even gonna get close to take a picture.

 

[Hoser John]

Many huge cracks shown from spillway pics took last summer and gal (dam rep) on noon news said never seen...jus' mo'shuckn' and a jivn'...sic sic sic- plausible denial went out the window long ago...John

 

[blackchipjim]

Hello again, just wondering if the area is still on lock down or did they ease up on the acess issue. I didn't see anything in the news lately other than where the money is going to come from to fix it.

 

[gldguy1]

From what I can tell it's still on lock down. They are racing to fix it before winter and they are talking about water releases if we get too much more rain from what I herd on the news the other day