New Washington Law Banning Motorized Mining Took Effect on June 11, 2020

Well, gang, the above map shows where you "might" be allowed to obtain a permit to run your dredge or other "motorized and gravity siphon aquatic mining*" equipment.

According to a new law (ESHB 1261) which took effect on June 11, 2020, motorized mining is prohibited in some locations where it was historically allowed.  In addition, there are new permitting requirements from the Department of Ecology before you can secure an HPA permit from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

Basically, in order to use motorized or gravity siphon equipment in the minuscule areas shown on the above map, you must first obtain a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) water quality permit from the state Department of Ecology, and then submit that permit to WDFW along with your application for an HPA permit.  All other "waters of the state" are off limits and no permits will be issued.  There is, however, one exception:  You may use motorized or gravity siphon equipment, within the areas shown on the map, under the Gold and Fish Pamphlet as long as the discharge waters from that equipment remain contained within the equipment rather than being discharged into the water or upon the ground.  See the current Gold and Fish Pamphlet for details.

Of course, you may still (at least for now) use non-motorized, hand-held equipment such as pans and sluice boxes anywhere within the state with only an HPA permit or under the terms of the Gold and Fish Pamphlet.

Do note, however, that as a practical matter, all the aforementioned permitting may be irrelevant.  To see why, compare the map below showing where gold has been found in Washington with the map at the head of this post.

As anyone can readily see, the areas where motorized and gravity siphon aquatic mining may be allowed coincide nicely with the areas where gold has never been found!  Might this be by design?  In any event, special permit or not, it would hardly seem worthwhile for one to go through the effort of setting up and operating motorized equipment just to prospect on barren ground.  In conclusion, it would appear that the legislature has finally found a way to ban all motorized prospecting in the State of Washington.

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*For an article on the development of "Gravity Siphon Mining," see here.

Article header image courtesy of State of Washington Department of Ecology.

Original source for this article:  The Spokesman-Review.

Department of Ecology.

Gold locations map for Washington courtesy of USGS Mineral Resource Data System.