highbanker question

[KiddoTheMiner]

so if you saw my last thread I asked about a dredge(witch ive decided against)
so m going to try to turn my river sluice into a highbanker
but what I really need to know is what gph pump should I use(my sluice is 10 inches wide)
any help appreciated
heavy pans to you guys

 

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[Idaho]

Depends on what kind of water flow you want, how far your water source is from your HB.

generally I run a 2' trash pump that will move 158 gpm. I use it to push the water up the Mountain, to where the gold is.

I recently changed my sluice to a low water flow system and even when the HB is sitting 200ft above the creek on the side of the mountain, I only need to set the pump motor a little above an idle.

Added... Also don't forget that once you change the river sluice to a HB, you will need new Riffles in your sluice. The river sluice riffles are made for the low pressure flow of a creek, You will need bigger riffles once you start pushing water with a pump.

Good Luck!

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

Depends on what kind of water flow you want, how far your water source is from your HB.

generally I run a 2' trash pump that will move 158 gpm. I use it to push the water up the Mountain, to where the gold is.

I recently changed my sluice to a low water flow system and even when the HB is sitting 200ft above the creek on the side of the mountain, I only need to set the pump motor a little above an idle.

thanks Idaho, my water typically isn't far from where im mining and if it is GA law says we either have to run it into the creek or run recirculating (we cant just run our highbanker into a hole)
so I think I can get away with a 1 1/2 inch 60 gpm pump

 

[Idaho]

They won't let you run your HB into a Settling pond?
They force you run it into the creek Wow! How screwed up is that.

In Idaho if you run your HB directly into a creek, the State (Not the just the EPA) will come after you a BIG way, hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, then they take your claim, and in a couple of cases miners even got put in jail...

 

[Hoser John]

SOMEBODY GOT THINGS REVERSED FOR SURE MAN AS RUNNING DIRTY WATER BACK INTO THE CRICK IS NOT RIGHT-John

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

SOMEBODY GOT THINGS REVERSED FOR SURE MAN AS RUNNING DIRTY WATER BACK INTO THE CRICK IS NOT RIGHT-John

in Georgia fish don't hurt as much from silt in the water as out west, and the soil erosion does more damage I think

 

[Armchair prospector]

Make your highbanker a combo unit, to dredge as well.

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

Make your highbanker a combo unit, to dredge as well.

right now im short on funds so I may just have to add that as an upgrade later

 

[Idaho]

in Georgia fish don't hurt as much from silt in the water as out west, and the soil erosion does more damage I think

Don't mean to argue, but according to the EPA, if you run your sluice directly into a creek, you ARE releasing pollutants (not just dirt) into the creek and violating the Clean Water Act.

The number one water pollutant listed on the EPA website is "Dredged Sand and Gravel", that would include any material release from a HB sluice.

This is the exact EPA Regulation that allowed the EPA to close down Dredging in California, Oregon and now Idaho...

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

Don't mean to argue, but according to the EPA, if you run your sluice directly into a creek, you ARE releasing pollutants (not just dirt) into the creek and violating the Clean Water Act.

The number one water pollutant listed on the EPA website is "Dredged Sand and Gravel", that would include any material release from a HB sluice.

This is the exact EPA Regulation that allowed the EPA to close down Dredging in California, Oregon and now Idaho...

on the gold hog forum doc specifically states it here-

"Restrictions and Regulations (What you can and can’t do.)

You can pan, stream sluice, highbank, and dredge on YOUR land (or private land with permissible land usage from the owner) as long as you don’t do harm to the banks, digging or suction dredging, vegetation, or riparian flow. Recreational prospecting is fairly open in Georgia. (Thanks to most of the land being closed.) If you have a water discharge… such as with a highbanker, the discharged water must fall into the waterway and NOT land on the bank or nearby grounds. Any run off from “near bank” settling pools or direct erosion is illegal and can be heavily fined. So… set up your highbanker at the water’s edge and allow the water to fall directly into the creek or stream. (Just wanted to be clear on that.)
Important note… if you run a large amount of material you should consider moving your equipment from time to time. Why? Your discharge may change the “water’s edge” into a “bank”. Meaning that when you started it was water, now it’s dry ground. Explainable yes, but again, better safer than sorry. "-doc

 

[Idaho]

If I were you, I'd be checking with the State Authorities, just to make sure of current regulations.

Up until last year it was open to dredge in Idaho, the year before that is was legal to dredge in Oregon and the year before that it was legal to dredge in California... Now it isn't legal in any of those places... Things changed real fast once the EPA said sluice and dredge discharge was a Pollutant.

I find it mind boggling that a state law would require you to discharge the EPA's number one water pollutant directly in to the water.

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

If I were you, I'd be checking with the State Authorities, just to make sure of current regulations.

Up until last year it was open to dredge in Idaho, the year before that is was legal to dredge in Oregon and the year before that it was legal to dredge in California... Now it isn't legal in any of those places... Things changed real fast once the EPA said sluice and dredge discharge was a Pollutant.

I find it mind boggling that a state law would require you to discharge the EPA's number one water pollutant directly in to the water.

so are stream sluices also illegal?

 

[Idaho]

so are stream sluices also illegal?

Here is a link to the Georgia dept of Water Quality/EPA regulations on discharge.

http://epd.georgia.gov/sites/epd.georgia.gov/files/related_files/site_page/3510-2C.pdf
These regulations do apply to mining in Georgia and I don't see any exemptions for "recreational" mining.

The EPA is a real bunch of storm troopers...

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

Here is a link to the Georgia dept of Water Quality/EPA regulations on discharge.

http://epd.georgia.gov/sites/epd.georgia.gov/files/related_files/site_page/3510-2C.pdf
These regulations do apply to mining in Georgia and I don't see any exemptions for "recreational" mining.

The EPA is a real bunch of storm troopers...

so they are illegal(I think), I wonder how many people are going to follow that

 

[Idaho]

so they are illegal(I think), I wonder how many people are going to follow that

When the EPA storm Troopers show up dressed in full military battle gear carrying machine guns and start giving out $350,000 tickets to miners... In their Armored Cars, with .50 cal machine guns mounted on them.... People in Georgia will start listening.
That is exactly what is happening in Idaho, California and Oregon right now...

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

When the EPA storm Troopers show up dressed in full military battle gear carrying machine guns and start giving out $350,000 tickets to miners... In their Armored Cars, with .50 cal machine guns mounted on them.... People in Georgia will start listening.
That is exactly what is happening in Idaho, California and Oregon right now...

Georgia might secede again if that happens
jk as soon as we get a republican president the epa will be given less power and this bulls#@t will end

 

[SHoward]

There are more than a couple of manufactures that make hoppers that will make your 10" sluice into a Highbanker/ dredge combo unit. Unfortunately it all costs money, LOL. After you get the hopper you will need a pump & hoses which can be found on ebay at reasonable prices. My 2" 7 h.p. trash pump was $169 with free shipping, and it runs great. I've seen the 3 h.p. 1-1/2" for as low as $139. But I recommend that you go with the 2" to begin with, it's an upgrade you will have to make if you want to start using dredge nozzles larger than 1-1/2". The pump I got works well with up to 3" nozzles and easily runs 3 highbankers at once.