Hydraulic Mining

Hydraulic Mining. . As miners moved from Sierra streams to gulches and hills, they found rich gold deposits in ancient river beds, some far from water. By 1853 they had begun working these gravels with water delivered through hoses and nozzles. Ultimately, this major California mining development created a vast system of flumes to satisfy its need for water. Brought from higher elevations in riveted pipes, the water was directed through iron nozzles called monitors. The powerful spray leveled hills and washed gold deposits into a series of sluices, where gold could be extracted., Hydraulicking also swept large amounts of silt into the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, causing frequent flooding. , Valley farmers organized, and an 1884 court decision made hydraulic mining operations liable for downstream damage. Required to contain mining run-off, most companies found further hydraulicking unprofitable, and the industry virtually came to an end., Inset Images: , This picture was taken near Michigan Bar on the Consumnes River neat Rancho Murrieta. The hill is much the same today., Mining operations using these hydraulic monitors could quickly was away hillsides and create new valleys. This mining method sent huge amounts of debris downstream, causing floods and lasting destruction., Evidence of lasting destruction caused by hydraulic mining can still be seen today, as in this landscape at Malakoff Diggings State Park. Even after over a century, nature has not been able to repair the scars from this short-lived but severely destructive mining method., The Sawyer Decision , On January 7, 1884, after two years in court, Judge Lorenzo Sawyer handed down his decision. This landmark ruling did not ban hydraulic mining but prohibited miners from sending debris and tailings downstream in the Sierra Nevada. The fines an costs instated with this ruling, effectively barred this mining practice.