Regional
Grass Valley Hosts Public Outreach Presentation on Emgold's Proposed Mine
Author: YubaNet
Published on Jan 27, 2006 - 2:14:00 PM

On Wednesday, the Grass Valley Planning Department held two workshops, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, to both inform and engage the public in the environmental review process the city has developed to evaluate the Idaho-Maryland Mine project proposed by Emgold Mining Corp. About 50 members of the public attended each session.

The purpose of the community outreach presentation was to provide a brief overview of Emgold's proposed hardrock gold mine; to introduce the environmental review process; and to obtain written comments from the public. The city wants to consider the perspectives of all stakeholders before arriving at its final decision whether or not to grant the permits, rezoning, and changes to the city's general plan that Emgold needs in order to reopen the old Idaho-Maryland Mine as well as to operate a tile-making factory.

On hand to moderate the presentation was Planning Director Tom Last, the primary contact for the environmental review process, as well as representatives of the consulting firm of Environmental Science Associates (ESA) which was hired by the city to prepare a Master Environmental Assessment (MEA), Initial Study, and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed reopening of the mine, located 2 miles from downtown Grass Valley. The mine, if approved, would be located within city limits. Emgold will cover all costs borne by the city to process its application.

Also present was Ray Krauss, a mining consultant the city hired to provide staff assistance on general mining issues.

Public comment forms were distributed and citizens were encouraged to communicate their concerns and questions by writing them down and either submitting the forms at the meeting or by mailing them later. The meeting was not intended to be a public forum for expressing verbal opinions about the controversial project and citizens were repeatedly asked to express their concerns on the comment forms. The purpose of the workshop was to enlist citizen input and to help the city to identify public concerns and questions, in writing.

After a slide show presentation, the open house format gave the public the opportunity to visit 7 information tables on various topics: the EIR process, project description, mining operations, air quality, noise and hazards, and water supply/ water quality.

While the workshop was a city-sponsored event, numerous Emgold employees were in attendance and the company hosted an information table of its own to show samples of ceramic tiles they plan to make from mine tailings via a proprietary process it calls Ceramext.

The junior mining company, headquartered in Vancouver, B.C., hopes to win city approval to reopen the old Idaho-Maryland Mine and find gold that it believes previous miners left behind before the mine closed in 1956. Emgold wants to mine 2,000 feet deeper than the original underground mine (3,000 ft.). To separate gold from the ore, Emgold plans to use a cyanide leach process. 70 miles of flooded tunnels would have to be dewatered and treated mine effluent would be dumped into South Fork Wolf Creek.

Emgold hopes to operate the mine for approximately 20 years before reclamation begins and the site is designated for another industrial purpose.

The city has developed a three-phased approach for evaluating Emgold's application. The process is projected to take from 19 months or up to 2 years:

Phase 1 (January to May 2006): Master Environmental Assessment (MEA):

• Identify, assemble and peer review all relevant reports conducted by Emgold or other sources.
• Identify and review all applicable city and county information and policy documents.
• Identify data gaps or deficiencies in the previous studies that may require additional studies or analyses.
• Identify all applicable federal, state, and local agencies responsible under CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) and establish a contact list.
• Conduct at least one agency and one public scoping meeting.
• Prepare a GIS-based Environmental Constraints Map.
• Publish the MEA for distribution using an expanded Initial Study Format.

• Incorporate changes (if any) by the applicant to the project application or project description in response to issues and constraints identified in the MEA and Environmental Constraints Map.
• Publish an Initial Study (IS), based on the MEA and any changes to the project description.
• Publish a Notice of Preparation (NOP)
• Conduct one public scoping meeting and one agency meeting to solicit issues and additional input based on the IS.
• Prepare a Scoping Report.

• Satisfy requirements of CEQA and produce a readable, full disclosure CEQA report.
• EIR based upon extensive data collection and assessment based upon the MEA, Initial Study, and Notice of Preparation responses. Resource topics include: Aesthetics, agricultural resources, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, energy, geology and soils, hydrology/water quality, land use planning, mineral resources, noise, population/housing, public health and safety, public services, recreation, transportation/circulation, utilities/service systems, CEQA required sections.
• Fill data gaps and deficiencies including field investigations and technical analyses.
• Include a comprehensive public outreach process including workshops and hearings, to be reviewed by city council.
• EIR and project will be reviewed by both the city council and planning commission.
• Utilize contact list to notify all concerned parties.
• Evaluate project alternatives and mitigation measures to lessen or avoid environmental impacts.
• Incorporate reclamation plan to ensure site can be converted to another acceptable use.

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