Narrative:
The Birchville Hydraulic Mine is located on unpatented BLM administered land but adjoins other large patented hydraulic and drift placer gold mines in the Birchville Mining District. The +33 acre mine site contains a 700+ foot long sluice box tunnel. The tunnel outlet is located on the adjoining patented property which has been blocked by a concrete bulkhead, forming a pit lake roughly 10 acres in size on BLM land starting in the 1990’s. A large wetland area encompasses the margins of the pit lake. Water, sediment and biota samples collected during FY2002 to assess total and methyl mercury contamination values. Test results do not show significant levels of methyl mercury in invertebrate, frog, and fish tissue samples, as occurs elsewhere in the Bear-Yuba watershed where hydraulic mine sediments are in contact with water bodies (See OEHA fish mercury contamination advisories for reservoirs in the Bear-Yuba watershed). Consumption of mercury contaminated fish does not currently pose a potential human health risk for the general public, since fish have been introduced into the pond recently.
Reclamation/Recommendations:
Pit Pond – No reclamation/remediation activities are currently proposed.
Risks: Hg Contamination
Location: Section 14, R17N,R7E MDBM, Birchville Mining District, Nevada County, CA
Field Office: Folsom
Congressional District: 02
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