The dredged material (sediment, gravels, rock and water) is discharged through a sluice box on the back of the floating dredge, capturing the gold and spewing sediment and gravel back into the water. The miner dives to the bottom of the stream and sucks up gravel and sediment with a large hose, excavating down to the bedrock. Imagine a high-powered vacuum floating on pontoons. The Army Corps also wants to hear from you! What Is Suction Dredge Mining? We don’t believe that this project is in the public interest, and hope you agree. Because the Salmon River is considered a “navigable stream” by the government, the Army Corps must determine whether a project is in the public interest before any permit can be authorized. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to consider measures that would protect endangered species. In response to the miner’s application, the Army Corps of Engineers is considering impacts of this proposal and will work with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries and U.S. Such approval is necessary because the EPA has restricted dredge mining in the Salmon River and other rivers and streams that provide critical habitat for salmon, steelhead and trout. Environmental Protection Agency or Army Corps of Engineers. The gold mining operation could affect up to one mile of the riverbed in habitat designated for salmon and steelhead and in a stretch of river important to the local recreation economy.ĭespite 2017 approval from the Idaho Land Board (made up of the governor, attorney general, secretary of state, schools superintendent, and controller), the miner has not received approval from the U.S. We’ve reported in the past about a Riggins-based miner who received approval from the state of Idaho for a commercial riverbed lease in a popular section of the Salmon River, just downstream of Riggins.
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