Washington states new gold mining laws ?

[et1955]

Just finished reading the new laws, one paragraph has me puzzled " You may operate non-motorized mini high-bankers or other non-motorized concentrators only outside the wetted perimeter. You may not allow visible sediment or muddy water to enter the wetted perimeter. A second excavation site may be used as a settling pond." Any of you know how to run a mini high-banker without a motor and pump ?. I wonder if this is a miss print " non ", motorized mini high-bankers were legal in the last WDFW fish and gold book. I will be contacting them soon for clarification.

 

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[Clay Diggins]

For now motorized pumps in the river, gas or electric are not allowed, however you can run a closed system.

How are the farmers pumping irrigation water? Seems Washington is going to starve and go broke without farming.

 

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[GopherDaGold]

Sorry to hear that Mad Machinist tested positive for Covid-19. Not wearing a mask... the mark of an irresponsible diseased mind! What he's really saying is that he doesn't care if he kills someone close to him or in the general public. I for one, did not serve and survive Vietnam, so that I could possibly be intentionally murdered or infected by some irresponsible individual wanting to walk among us like nothing has happened. Mad Machinist has an attitude that deserves the self inflicted Darwin Award for those that shun wearing a mask in public. Want to be anywhere in his vicinity... HELL NO!!!!

Paranoia will destroy ya. Do you use regular or heavy-duty tin foil when crafting your headgear?

 

[Goldwasher]

Freshwater mussels really?

they live in mud and silt probably not in the waterways where the gold bearing gravels are.

 

[et1955]

Well, I live like 5 mins from a part of the Tolt river that has some historical placer mining - was thinking of giving that a go but seems like a lot of the land along the river is owned by Snoqualmie Timber. Otherwise thought I might head up to North Fork of the Snoqualmie (southeast of the reservoir) a go. Any better suggestions maybe? Thanks!

I have mined the Tolt many times but no more, after 1995 historic flood there was nice gold everywhere but because the river has a dam on it for Seattle's watershed the river is controlled and in consequence the river has become clogged up with cobble. This area is a glacial moraine although the gold came from the mountains that doesn't happen anymore because of that dam. There is gold there and a lot more than the N.F. Snoquamie also I will add that to get to the Tolt is a huge problem with so much private land and the Snoqualmie timber co.. One method I learned mining the south fork of the Nooksack witch also has cobble like the Tolt is as you dig down threw the coble in the gravel bar look for a layer of leaves and mud that is a flood deposit and where you will find gold, below that layer you will not find any gold until you hit another flood deposit. Just to let you know how much that river has changed since 1995 flood, I went up to place where I found a 1/2inch square nugget on the Tolt, there was this tree above the bank, back then it was an 8ft. climb to get up to it but now it was 3ft., Good Luck and the Tolt is a good river to learn how to mine.

 

[et1955]

How are the farmers pumping irrigation water? Seems Washington is going to starve and go broke without farming.

Clay you should know this, anything pertaining to "Gold Mining the prices goes up or the restrictions go up" LOL

 

[delnorter]

The Klamath River here in Northern California has an extensive fresh water muscle resource and lots of gold.

Mike

 

[Goldwasher]

The Klamath River here in Northern California has an extensive fresh water muscle resource and lots of gold.

Mike

Not saying they don't exist. In fact i know some are invasive.

Just noting how it goes from fish to frog to mussel and so on.

Those animals exist in part of a waterway and they shut down the whole drainage. It's dumb and annoying.

 

[Hardent]

I have mined the Tolt many times but no more, after 1995 historic flood there was nice gold everywhere but because the river has a dam on it for Seattle's watershed the river is controlled and in consequence the river has become clogged up with cobble.

What about north of the Reservoir? How far down through the cobble would you have to go to get anything you think?

Anywhere else in the general area you would recommend? What about the feeder creeks above the Skykomish?

 

[et1955]

What about north of the Reservoir? How far down through the cobble would you have to go to get anything you think?

Anywhere else in the general area you would recommend? What about the feeder creeks above the Skykomish?

As for your first question, you can't go onto that land, it's watershed and protected. All gold in that area comes from lode mines east on the reservoirs and is only deposited in the south fork of the tolt river, the main lode mine is the Damian and Pithious mine, I have been there and met the owner, it is an interesting place to be, you can see the river there turn into to streams, one the south fork of tolt and the other is Money creek and both have gold. Now for your second question, basically the main source of gold the area I suggested comes from Silver creek on the North Fork of the Skykomish, many lode mines there and I have explored all of them, it was awesome. Not many places to mine the N.F.S because many places are claimed. There is book you should get " Washington State Gold Mines by Ray F. Mayo" Good Luck

 

[Eatmydust2]

Just finished reading the new laws, one paragraph has me puzzled " You may operate non-motorized mini high-bankers or other non-motorized concentrators only outside the wetted perimeter. You may not allow visible sediment or muddy water to enter the wetted perimeter. A second excavation site may be used as a settling pond." Any of you know how to run a mini high-banker without a motor and pump ?. I wonder if this is a miss print " non ", motorized mini high-bankers were legal in the last WDFW fish and gold book. I will be contacting them soon for clarification.

And yet in their definition , high banker and mini both say, run with water supply. Lol We will be running up out of their specifications area, classified into buckets in stream or beach,, then through recirculating system for higbanker or cube. The specifications are only for bank and wetted perimeter area, and will dump into a settle pond or drain. if you are up out of that specifications of pamphlet area, they have no jurisdiction: , would be just like taking home to run. There is nothing list about using a recirculating system! My thoughts are, this is for generators and gas powered pumps ! They do not want gas and oil on beach or river banks.
But then again if you are up out of specifications area, you can use gas powered. Just our thoughts. On these 🐔 💩 rules and twisted words

 

[et1955]

The Tolt river is very hard to get into, after the 1995 flood there was a lot of gold on the surface but the river has changed over the years. Many small floods have covered the richer deposits by about 4 ft. of flood material. Between private property and timber land it is hard to get into but there is Wa. fishing access place and that is how I got in but you have to have a fishing licence to park there. The head waters of the NF Snoqualmie produced a lot of gold, silver, copper and lead but can you get up there. One advice from my experiance on mining the tolt and several rivers on this side of the Cascades that have a lot of glacial till in the river, usually it is round cobble stones about 3 to 4 inches in diameter, what happened on these rivers is during a flood leaves will wash down and deposit on top of the coble of a previses flood and create a type of false bedrock and then mud, gold and more cobble with be deposited. It's nice when you find such a layer but it also may many feet down till you find another, I know. Good luck