jcazgoldchaser
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Lake Combie mercury removal project crosses another hurdle
- Thread starter Hefty1
- Start date
bedrock bubba
Sr. Member
I couldn't make it past "Nation’s Single Men Announce Plan To Change Bedsheets By 2019"
Ewwwww! How unclean!
I take a bath once a year, whether I need it or not!
bedrock bubba
Sr. Member
Article from theunion.com:
The ongoing moratorium on suction dredge mining on California rivers has caused a rift between environmentalists and miners.
Craig Lindsay, executive director of the Western Mining Alliance, recently accused Izzy Martin, executive director of The Sierra Fund, of perpetuating myths regarding mercury contamination of fish in order to fatten her organization’s bank account.
Martin rebutted the accusation, reaffirming the existence of mercury-contaminated fish that compromises human health and safety and saying the mining alliance consistently misleads the public about the issue to further a destructive hobby.
The sharp tenor of the debate stems from The Sierra Fund’s attempt to demonstrate a relationship between suction dredge mining and an increase in methylmercury.
As part of its work, The Sierra Fund has asserted in numerous studies that mercury used in gold mining operations in the latter half of the 19th century has found its way into the watershed.
By a process of methylation, the mercury enters the food chain. Certain types of fish accumulate unsafe amounts of the element that can present detrimental impacts to humans, particularly children and pregnant women.
“In truth, 26 million pounds of mercury were brought to this region during the Gold Rush, at least 10 million pounds of which was left behind in the environment, a legacy that still affects our environment today,” Martin wrote in a recent article that appeared in El Dorado County. “People are exposed to that mercury when eating certain species of locally caught fish.”
Martin’s article was a response to the mining alliance, which issued a news release touting the results of a recent study conducted by the California Water Board that concluded “California sport fish ... are safe to eat throughout the Sierra.”
Specifically, California’s trout are some of the safest for consumption in the country, the Western Mining Alliance stated in the release. Measured amounts of toxins, including mercury, show levels well below established health advisories, the release said.
“Despite the rhetoric of environmental groups claiming a toxic legacy from mining, there is no argument about the science,” Lindsay said.
“The data clearly shows mercury is not an issue in gold country, the fish all measure well below advisory criteria, and mercury levels have been consistently dropping over the past 20 years.”
Kerry Morse, spokeswoman for The Sierra Fund, dismissed the mining alliance statement as spin.
The Sierra Fund pointed to a recent release by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard
Assessment that stated wild-caught rainbow trout and smaller brown trout are indeed safe for moderate consumption but cautioned against large brown trout caught in lakes and reservoirs, carp and particularly bass. The statement seemed to put two state agencies at odds, but Sam Delson, spokesman for OEHHA, said the California Water Board provides good baseline data that provides a foundation for further study of more species and their relationships to mercury.
“Many fish are safe to eat,” Delson said. “But mercury contamination is an issue, especially in some species such as bass. Some of it comes from old mining operations, and some of it comes from atmospheric deposition.”
Eric Maksymyk, a board member of the Western Mining Alliance, contends suction dredge mining could be employed to remove mercury from river bottoms.
“Studies have shown that suction dredge equipment is 98 percent efficient at picking up mercury from river bottoms,” he said.
Instead of redepositing the mercury back in the environment, it is collected, and if officials and environmentalists were more willing to work with miners, a program could be installed where the collected mercury could be safely disposed of, Maksymyk said.
Izzy Martin is not buying that argument.
She said the disturbances of the river bottom caused by dredging accelerates the methylation process of mercury, abetting the toxin’s rapid entry into the food chain.
Lindsay countered with allegations of hypocrisy, noting The Sierra Fund has collaborated with the Nevada Irrigation District to conduct a mercury extraction project at Combie Reservoir, which he said was tantamount to a suction dredging operation.
Carrie Monohan, a science director for The Sierra Fund who also works for NID, said the mercury machine has a more sophisticated nozzle that prevents a large dredging plume.
Suction dredge mining also presents hazards to certain species of fish, but the Western Mining Alliance advocates time and seasonal restrictions.
“You would think there would be an opportunity to collaborate, but there is no middle ground with environmental groups,” Lindsay said.
To contact Staff Writer Matthew Renda, email mrenda@theunion.com or 530-477-4239.
What I hate about the Union is that in order to post comments you have to use your email account and join facebook, which then anyone can spy on you including the Guv'mint! I REFUSE to compromise my privacy!
More lies, piled on top of baldface lies by Tizzy Martin and her brown shirted storm troppers!
The ongoing moratorium on suction dredge mining on California rivers has caused a rift between environmentalists and miners.
Craig Lindsay, executive director of the Western Mining Alliance, recently accused Izzy Martin, executive director of The Sierra Fund, of perpetuating myths regarding mercury contamination of fish in order to fatten her organization’s bank account.
Martin rebutted the accusation, reaffirming the existence of mercury-contaminated fish that compromises human health and safety and saying the mining alliance consistently misleads the public about the issue to further a destructive hobby.
The sharp tenor of the debate stems from The Sierra Fund’s attempt to demonstrate a relationship between suction dredge mining and an increase in methylmercury.
As part of its work, The Sierra Fund has asserted in numerous studies that mercury used in gold mining operations in the latter half of the 19th century has found its way into the watershed.
By a process of methylation, the mercury enters the food chain. Certain types of fish accumulate unsafe amounts of the element that can present detrimental impacts to humans, particularly children and pregnant women.
“In truth, 26 million pounds of mercury were brought to this region during the Gold Rush, at least 10 million pounds of which was left behind in the environment, a legacy that still affects our environment today,” Martin wrote in a recent article that appeared in El Dorado County. “People are exposed to that mercury when eating certain species of locally caught fish.”
Martin’s article was a response to the mining alliance, which issued a news release touting the results of a recent study conducted by the California Water Board that concluded “California sport fish ... are safe to eat throughout the Sierra.”
Specifically, California’s trout are some of the safest for consumption in the country, the Western Mining Alliance stated in the release. Measured amounts of toxins, including mercury, show levels well below established health advisories, the release said.
“Despite the rhetoric of environmental groups claiming a toxic legacy from mining, there is no argument about the science,” Lindsay said.
“The data clearly shows mercury is not an issue in gold country, the fish all measure well below advisory criteria, and mercury levels have been consistently dropping over the past 20 years.”
Kerry Morse, spokeswoman for The Sierra Fund, dismissed the mining alliance statement as spin.
The Sierra Fund pointed to a recent release by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard
Assessment that stated wild-caught rainbow trout and smaller brown trout are indeed safe for moderate consumption but cautioned against large brown trout caught in lakes and reservoirs, carp and particularly bass. The statement seemed to put two state agencies at odds, but Sam Delson, spokesman for OEHHA, said the California Water Board provides good baseline data that provides a foundation for further study of more species and their relationships to mercury.
“Many fish are safe to eat,” Delson said. “But mercury contamination is an issue, especially in some species such as bass. Some of it comes from old mining operations, and some of it comes from atmospheric deposition.”
Eric Maksymyk, a board member of the Western Mining Alliance, contends suction dredge mining could be employed to remove mercury from river bottoms.
“Studies have shown that suction dredge equipment is 98 percent efficient at picking up mercury from river bottoms,” he said.
Instead of redepositing the mercury back in the environment, it is collected, and if officials and environmentalists were more willing to work with miners, a program could be installed where the collected mercury could be safely disposed of, Maksymyk said.
Izzy Martin is not buying that argument.
She said the disturbances of the river bottom caused by dredging accelerates the methylation process of mercury, abetting the toxin’s rapid entry into the food chain.
Lindsay countered with allegations of hypocrisy, noting The Sierra Fund has collaborated with the Nevada Irrigation District to conduct a mercury extraction project at Combie Reservoir, which he said was tantamount to a suction dredging operation.
Carrie Monohan, a science director for The Sierra Fund who also works for NID, said the mercury machine has a more sophisticated nozzle that prevents a large dredging plume.
Suction dredge mining also presents hazards to certain species of fish, but the Western Mining Alliance advocates time and seasonal restrictions.
“You would think there would be an opportunity to collaborate, but there is no middle ground with environmental groups,” Lindsay said.
To contact Staff Writer Matthew Renda, email mrenda@theunion.com or 530-477-4239.
What I hate about the Union is that in order to post comments you have to use your email account and join facebook, which then anyone can spy on you including the Guv'mint! I REFUSE to compromise my privacy!
More lies, piled on top of baldface lies by Tizzy Martin and her brown shirted storm troppers!
bedrock bubba
Sr. Member
They should call it "dredge the taxpayer's coffers". LOL!
If we got that 9 million $, and paid 3000 gold dredgers to dredge, we could get $ 3000 apeice, and I guarnfreakenty you we would turn in a lot more than 150 #'s of merc! It would be TONS of merc!
Lets ask for:
Free campsite for the summer, or a motel room paid for
Free gas and oil and dredge parts paid for
Free beer and food, and neked girls on Friday nites
A couple politicians in our pocket, access to presstitutes and lame stream media
Blessings from the Pope and the Messiah
Our own GOLD SHOW! To edumucate the masses of sheeple and tell the truth
Lets all write and email our Congress critters now! What the hey?
bedrock bubba
Sr. Member
Why didn't WE think of this first
?Lets get a few grant writers working for us, and steal their thunder! And toss out proposals to the politicians.
Call ourselves, the "Clean River Peoples Brigade"
Fullpan
Bronze Member
The above article is a perfect example of how organizations with loads of money to burn "snows the uninformed with BS", backed up with pages of non-relevant
references. The only reference to actual Calif. mercury poisoning is by Jane Hightower and Dan Moore, in 2003, which found dangerous mercury levels in wealthy people in the Bay Area who ate large amounts of SWORDFISH and AHI. I'm pretty sure those fish species are not found in calif reservoirs.
If you want to read the whole story go to the first entry at this link and go to page two of PDF file:
http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt...r+mercury+levels&fr2=sb-top&fr=yfp-t-900-31-s
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Mad Machinist
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"Carrie Monohan, a science director for The Sierra Fund who also works for NID, said the mercury machine has a more sophisticated nozzle that prevents a large dredging plume."
What the hell kinda crap is that? A cutter head dredge utilizes a scalping basket or crown in a rotating motion to suspend material, and then the dredgers suction system transports it through the suction hose by use of a dredge pump.
So if it is suspending material, the we have a serious possibility here of the cutter head impacting a pocket of mercury and breaking it up into little pieces thereby causing methylation on a lot bigger scale than the direct suction action of one of our dredges.
How in the hell do these people keep passing college and getting degrees?
What the hell kinda crap is that? A cutter head dredge utilizes a scalping basket or crown in a rotating motion to suspend material, and then the dredgers suction system transports it through the suction hose by use of a dredge pump.
So if it is suspending material, the we have a serious possibility here of the cutter head impacting a pocket of mercury and breaking it up into little pieces thereby causing methylation on a lot bigger scale than the direct suction action of one of our dredges.
How in the hell do these people keep passing college and getting degrees?
Mad Machinist
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So I was reading the report on the amount mercury that dredgers recover and one thing stuck out at me. One of the reasons they are using to shut us down is the bioavailibilty of the 2% of mercury that an old beat up crash box dredge wouldn't recover. This pertains specifically to the flouring of mercury due to turbulence in that style of dredge.
So I want to see a report on the bioavailibilty of the 7% that this cutter head system won't recover. Hit them with their own research and use big words like bioavailibilty, methylation, and a whole host of others. Unfortunately without using big words, we are looked at as less than intelligent.
So I want to see a report on the bioavailibilty of the 7% that this cutter head system won't recover. Hit them with their own research and use big words like bioavailibilty, methylation, and a whole host of others. Unfortunately without using big words, we are looked at as less than intelligent.
Fullpan
Bronze Member
I have become familiar with most of their jargon, but one term blows right over the top of my head - can you provide a layman's description of "mass balancing"?
Mad Machinist
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This one is kinda tough to explain in layman's terms. But I'll try. This is basically a fancy way of accounting for all matter. The part that usually ends up getting messed up is the assumptions part.
Consider the situation in which a slurry is flowing into a settling tank to remove the solids in the tank. Solids are collected at the bottom by means of a conveyor belt partially submerged in the tank, and water exits via an overflow outlet.In this example, there are two substances: solids and water. The water overflow outlet carries an increased concentration of water relative to solids, as compared to the slurry inlet, and the exit of the conveyor belt carries an increased concentration of solids relative to water.
Assumptions
- Steady state
- Non-reactive system
Suppose that the slurry inlet composition (by mass) is 50% solid and 50% water, with a mass flow of 100 kg/min. The tank is assumed to be operating at steady state, and as such accumulation is zero, so input and output must be equal for both the solids and water. If we know that the removal efficiency for the slurry tank is 60%, then the water outlet will contain 20 kg/min of solids (40% times 100 kg/min times 50% solids). If we measure the flow rate of the combined solids and water, and the water outlet is shown to be 60 kg/min, then the amount of water exiting via the conveyor belt must be 10 kg/min. This allows us to completely determine how the mass has been distributed in the system with only limited information and using the mass balance relations across the system boundaries.
lol
Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp
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G'afternoon Fullpan, Drink your coffee while it is still hot. I noticed that it was proposed to use a gold bar to collect Hgr Why not just use a clean plate of copper ? I is confused .
The dangers from actual Hg effects are vastly over blown, almost to the point of stupidness. Many streams that have never seen mining of any type hold almost as much Hg in different forms as the supposed dangerous ones.
Where does Hg come from ? It is rather abundant in Nature actually, so does it just disappear from Nature's Hg rich areas ?
I can tell you some stories of mercury from WW-II that would have the Sierra Club true believers run screaming to the Gov't or their psychiatrist
Sigh, I suppose there are many ways to make a buck, and the SC has morphed and monopolized many for themselves, originally they had good intentions.. sniffff.
Don Jose de La Mancha
p.s. I fight internet Giants, so go go fullpan go after the so called 'public's benefit' ones, most are corrupt to a large extent and their end goal is mostly self beneficial in either capital or egoistical power gains, generally both.
As a matter of fact how can I get a bit of the gravy?
Why not just use a clean plate of copper ? I is confused . The dangers from actual Hg effects are vastly over blown, almost to the point of stupidness. Many streams that have never seen mining of any type hold almost as much Hg in different forms as the supposed dangerous ones.
Where does Hg come from ? It is rather abundant in Nature actually, so does it just disappear from Nature's Hg rich areas ?
I can tell you some stories of mercury from WW-II that would have the Sierra Club true believers run screaming to the Gov't or their psychiatrist
Sigh, I suppose there are many ways to make a buck, and the SC has morphed and monopolized many for themselves, originally they had good intentions.. sniffff.
Don Jose de La Mancha
p.s. I fight internet Giants, so go go fullpan go after the so called 'public's benefit' ones, most are corrupt to a large extent and their end goal is mostly self beneficial in either capital or egoistical power gains, generally both.
As a matter of fact how can I get a bit of the gravy?
Fullpan
Bronze Member
Yes, bright, clean copper plates will do the trick cheaper. And yes, if it is only about money, it is sooo easy to join em, get on the non-profit gravy train.
bedrock bubba
Sr. Member
They will use the methylated mercury thing against us, when their cutter heads produce a LOT of it.
They will say; "See? Dredging produces a lot of methylated mercury!"
Carrie Monahan working for both NID and Sierra Fund is an OBVIOUS CONFLICT OF INTEREST!
bedrock bubba
Sr. Member
Agreed!
It feels great when we stop beating our heads against walls!
It feels great when we stop beating our heads against walls!
Mad Machinist
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I am actually seeing more and more of this. This is due to the fact that the people who believe the crap the numbskulls are preaching have been shrinking. Due to emerging research, these people will be on the endangered species list.
I wish I could show you all some of the research papers I know of under peer review right now.
Fullpan
Bronze Member
Conflict of interest? Guess who is listed on Sierra Fund website as a donor? (answer: - Tim Crough, asst gen. manager, NID and
the NID!!) A very cozy arrangement.
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Fullpan
Bronze Member
Here's a link to the next chapter in the sierra fund's takeover of imaginary health scare due to mercury in the rivers and fish. Anyone near Nevada City that can attend this BS session and report about it? They are methodically wrapping their tentacles around millions, based on a lie:
TSF?s health outreach campaign: Community Meeting in Nevada City on October 8
TSF?s health outreach campaign: Community Meeting in Nevada City on October 8
Mad Machinist
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If anybody wants to push it, this right here is a clear cut ethics violation. This would be enough to remove Mr. Crough if a big enough stink is made.
Fullpan
Bronze Member
your chance to get in on a river of money being spent on environmental projects. Get your wives, friends to research and copy the grant applications all over
the web, then pick a project for yourselves - the more bizarre, the better (example: underpasses for gray squirrels to avoid road kill - don't have to actually do anything, just "study the feasibility")
Bear Yuba Land Trust to receive $185,000 grant for Yuba River Black Swan Riparian Expansion Resources Land Acquisition
This is just ONE agency giving out 10 million. There's prop 84 funds (approx. 50 mil to restoration) and the Clean Water Act (approx. 5 billion). Come on, guys the spigot is gushing.
the web, then pick a project for yourselves - the more bizarre, the better (example: underpasses for gray squirrels to avoid road kill - don't have to actually do anything, just "study the feasibility")
Bear Yuba Land Trust to receive $185,000 grant for Yuba River Black Swan Riparian Expansion Resources Land Acquisition
This is just ONE agency giving out 10 million. There's prop 84 funds (approx. 50 mil to restoration) and the Clean Water Act (approx. 5 billion). Come on, guys the spigot is gushing.
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