Amador County – Sutter Gold Mining Incorporated is looking to close decades of permitting at the Lincoln Mine in Amador County with the pouring of gold bullion by the fourth quarter of this year, weather permitting. A tentative cornerstone placing ceremony for the Sutter Gold’s mill is planned for May, with local dignitaries to be invited.
Vice President of Environment, Health and Safety David Cochrane led TSPN TV News on a tour of the site that is governed by OSHA, federal mining regulations, and other regulators, and features safety training requirements for visitors, as well as extensive training for contractors. Cochrane said 24 hours of safety training is required for anyone who will work more than five days at the site in a year. The company last week trained 30 people in that manner and plans to train dozens more.
Mine Superintended James D. Smith said they hope to be pouring bullion by November. Cochrane said that is an internal goal, and does not consider weather delays. Realistically, they hope to be pouring bullion by the fourth quarter of this year. He said: “We’re having a bit of a late winter.” To this point, the construction had been helped by mild winter weather.
The site features rock-covered roads that keep rain from impacting the work. Straw waddles along contours of seeded hills fend off erosion and runoff. A plastic-lined water storage pond catches water before it drains from the site.
A crew Wednesday was carving out the side of a hill where the mill will sit. Doug Veerkamp Construction of El Dorado County won the bid to remove the hill soil and rock, in 5-foot increments. The local company Mark Suden Construction, which actually built the mine years ago, worked Wednesday on drilling the side of the hill where it has been covered with blown-on concrete over heavy wire grids. 23-foot long rebar bolts are then placed into the drill holes, which will be cemented in place, then bolted down to guard against landslides.
Cochrane said higher on the hill will be buildings, made to look like barns, which will separate gold and dewater mine tailings.
The schedule has been slowed by permitting at the federal level, Smith said, and some permits were initiated 20 years ago. Cochrane said Amador County is making sure its permits are proper. The mill site building permit came in February, and the site has two more five-foot lifts to be built, which will take about a week per lift to build, and it takes dry weather to put in place the concrete sides. The mill foundation site could be finished in April, and the lifts will be about 20 feet high at the highest point.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
