Wolf Creek Community Alliance: Idaho Maryland Mine Information

Wolf Creek Community Alliance

I-M Mine info

About the Proposed Idaho-Maryland Mine

In February of 2006, Emgold Mining Corporation submitted an application to re-open the Idaho-Maryland Mine and build a tile-making factory to deal with the tailings produced by mine operations. The city of Grass Valley is reviewing the application, a process projected to take at least 18 months. If approved, the project would have significant consequences for the Wolf Creek watershed. It is in the interests of all Grass Valley residents to be as informed about this project as possible. This page gathers together much of the information available so that concerned citizens can educate themselves and get involved in the city's review process.

News and updates

All Yubanet articles about the proposed mine (updated regularly)

Background information
YubaNet has published an excellent five-part series about the proposed mine, Emgold Mining Corporation, the tile-making facility, and the potential impacts and risks of the whole enterprise. This series, written by Doug Mattson, is the most comprehensive source of information about the proposed mining operation. Detailed information about the project is available on the Idaho-Maryland Mine public documents page of the city's website.

Special Report: Golden Gamble in Grass Valley [link to YubaNet]
Map: project location
Story on National Public Radio
New Study: Regulatory and Scientific Failures in Mine Permitting Result in Widespread Water Pollution, Increased Public Health Risks, and Costly Taxpayer-Funded Cleanups [link to YubaNet story]
KVMR interview with Alexandria Keeble about her MA thesis research on the environmental consequences of mining in western Nevada County since the Gold Rush [.mp3 download, 5.3MB]
Alexandria Keeble's thesis [130+ pages, .pdf download]
Another community's response to a mining proposal: High Country Citizens' Alliance in Crested Butte, CO
New report: Mining's Toxic Legacy: An Initiative to Address Mining Toxins in the Sierra [link to Sierra Fund site, which has download link]
Lessons of the Siskon Mine [.doc download]
Information about energy consumption at the mine and proposed ceramics facility [from APPLE]

Emgold Mining Corporation
Emgold Mining Corporation, based in Vancouver, Canada, is the company behind the proposal to re-open the Idaho-Maryland Mine. It is a "junior" mining company with no actual mining operations; all of its capital comes from investors, not gold production. The so-called Idaho-Maryland Mining Corporation was set up to put a local face on the operation; if you visit this site, keep in mind that its purpose is to put a positive spin on the project and shape local opinion.

The Application and Review Process
Grass Valley's Community Development department has set up a page on the City's website with a great deal of information about the project and how the application will be processed. This page includes downloadable application documents, maps of the project, and contact information. One document of particular interest is the Economic Viability Study published by Bay Area Economics on July 15, 2005, which questions the viability of the tile-making enterprise on technical, practical, and economic grounds, and advises the City to require Emgold to have a contingency plan in place for dealing with the tailings in case the tile idea proves unworkable.

After the first public workshop on the project, held in late January 2006, YubaNet published an article that explains the city's review process very clearly and concisely.