I did a search with the subject "suction dredging in Canada" and came up with this, It's long.
Gramps
Ok hang tough, this will be a long post - sorry but.....
I first dredged legally on the Pend Oreille River south of Salmo. This was I believe 1988 or so, just before they raised the 7 mile dam. Tim L. ( I will not go into last names as I don't have peoples permission) had verbal approval from mines to dredge as he was in the pond behind the dam and fish values were nil due to coarse fish population. He used an old 8 inch which was a chore for one person but he was into it and managed to dive about 3 days a week. I had a 5 inch triple and managed to dredge up an ounce of nice stuff in about a month of learning the ropes. Not too bad when you consider that we were on the top of the pond nowhere near the gut of the river - like panning on the side of a valley. Were were right on the side of the road and one day the Conservation Officer spent an hour observing us - thought we were crazy.
Spent the next month on the Salmo river just below the high water mark of the 7 mile dam, technically still the pond of the Pend Oreille. This was river dredging as the pond would go up and down as they produced power and mostly it was down. Couple of nice 1/4 ouncers there and still legal but only verbally. I heard later that they came out with a written set of rules for the Kootenay area but i never saw them. People may still be dredging there legally I don't know now. In 1991 or so we formed the Gold Dredgers Association of BC, and it had over 100 member for awhile but folded after a few years due to personal reasons.
In the early 90's I made inquiries to dredge on the Tulameen river and spent 5 or 6 years talking and getting turned down, I noticed that today that I have a file of turned down NOW's from 1995. This is when I heard of someone dredging on the Similkameen who turned out to be Glenn L (he wrote the Gold panning and catalog book later). He had gotten permission by using the terms "Enhanced Underwater Sniping" and instead of dredge he used "venturi", and he dredged with permission. I think this is where I got ahold of a document titled "DFO/BCE GUIDELINES FOR THE USE OF SUCTION DREDGES TO "SNIPE" FOR GOLD".
Here is the text of those guidelines (TOLD YOU IT WAS GOING TO BE A LONG POST)
** The following guidelines apply to the use of portable suction dredges to "snipe" for gold in bedrock canyon areas. The general prohibition on suction dredging in BC is not waived, rather, the Regional Placer Mining Coordination Committies may allow portable suction dredges to be operated for sniping on a site specific basis. Thje following guidelines are offered on an interim basis and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and B.C. Environment (BCE) will follow up these guidelines to asses their applicability and compliance.
a) Canyon site selected for sniping must be true bedrock based, not clay or hardpan.
b)DFO and BCE may limit the number of suction dredges that are operatyed in a given area.
c) The potential site must be well mapped and photographed. This information must accompany the application. The operation must be confined to the delineated area.
d) Timing oon the operation may be confined to after the freshet, and prior to fall rains. Site specific restrictions on timing may be applied to refect sensitive fish life history phases.
e) To facilitate agency monitoring the portable suction dredge should be painted a flourescent red/orange colour. The permit number, clearly visible from the air shall be displayed.
f) Equipment is restricted to hand-operated, portable units, including suction dredges with intake valve diameters of not greater than 6".
g) No entrainment of fish, under any circumstances, is permitted. While the nozzle may remain unscreened, all other intakes must be screened in accordance with DFO gidelines.
h) During sluicing, a tailings bag, approximately 2m x 1m in dimensions and comprised of a nylon type material must be attached to the sluice outfall.
i) During sluicing, the tailings bag and tailings, must be deposited on the strem edge outside the wetted perimeter with no discharge to the stream.
j) Gravel tailings must be contoured to the natural bank above the wetted perimeter.
k) Removal or shifting of large boulders that may be in the stream bed, or any alterationof the bedrock is strictly prohibited.
l) All fuel and oil products must be stored in a secure manner well removed from the wetted perimeter.
m) Fuel tanks on suction dredges should be confined to appoximately 4 litres capacity
March 22, 1995**
So I aplied under these guidelines and obtained written permission to use a suction dredge on the Tulameen River. Held dredging permits for several seasons but not since about 2005 so I am not sure of the validity of these guidelines, I believe last time I submitted a NOW for a dredge I had a harder time getting aproved.
Under the guidelines above it is next to impossible to use a suction dredge as designed but I always went into the excercise with the assumtion that I had a permit and a legal right to have my dredge in the water and if I wasn't in total compliance with my permit I was aleast trying. Sort of the old adage of " asking for forgiveness rather that asking for permission"
Hey this post is long enough - just one last thing - *IF YOU WANT TO DREDGE LEGALLY DON'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER* , most of the time the person you are talking to is not allowed to answer yes so keep going up the ladder to find the yes person.
GS - sorry for any spelling error, too much post to proof
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