Suction Dredging Suspended in Washington Rivers Due to Drought

WDFW has announced that suction dredging for gold is prohibited or restricted in more than 60 rivers and streams until further notice.  The reason given for this action is to prevent additional stress on fish populations that are already suffering from high temperatures and low water levels.  On those rivers with hourly restrictions, gold dredging is prohibited between 2:00 P.M. and one half-hour after official sunset.  A detailed list of the rivers and streams affected by these emergency regulations may be found here.

Note that only suction dredging is affected by these regulations.  Gold panning by hand is specifically exempted and the regulations do not mention other gold recovery methods, such as by hand sluice, rocker box, etc., so it would seem these methods would be permitted as well.  If in doubt, contact WDFW at 360-902-2200 or at one of the numbers listed at the top of the official news release.