I have a question about the mercury.
Wasn't there a report out there about how the levels have dropped, obviously through time they will. But wouldn't the mercury be in the soils and clay in the lakes, more so than the streams? I don't live there of course, but don't those rivers and streams have floods that erode the existing material and then re-emigre the mercury (if any) back into the water? Plus, at that point, if it's being used for drinking water to the millions of people, isn't the water run through the water plants of California and purified of pollutants?
Addressing some of the issues, (in no particular order) you raised.
1. There is agreement between us and the greens, that close to a million lbs of merc. is laying up there in the motherlode. What we know to be evident, is that approx. 3 times that amount in LEAD is also there. Complete silence from enviros on the lead. 2. Best management practice to remediate these toxics - underwater small-scale mining, period. 3. Amount of lead and mercury already remediated in the past 60 yrs by the Sierra Fund = 0. The calif. water board = 0. The Ca. Dept of Toxic Substance Control = 0. Region 9, EPA = several hundred lbs (at a cost of approx. 5 million- these were emergency clean-ups of drainage tunnels from old hydraulic mines). Underwater suction miners = 1,000s of lbs of both merc. and lead - cost - FREE. That's it, nuff said.
Plus if these agencies/organizations are so concerned, then what are they doing to clean up the so called tons of mercury in those highly sacred sites of religion/archaeological/historic relevant areas?
What about our miner's history and desire to use our heritage and self rejuvenation (our religion)?
Not that we say Gold is God, but the belief in self worth.
I was wondering about Sierra's involvement.
Smells fishy. Not meant as a pun. I noticed that they only say that the sluice catches the gold and nothing else.
Thanks Brandon for putting up the fight. I'll send what I can and hope it helps. Just glad I don't live there to deal with the crap. But as they say, it runs downhill and any other state could be next. Because dredging is only the tip. You've already read about noise from generators in the camp areas creating too much noise. After they make you do it all manually, comes the last way to mine and that's by hand. Then they'll take that too.
So stay strong brother.
