Dredger mining is the extraction of sediment from bodies of water to harvest valuable materials like gold. Suction dredging is popular for recreational gold mining, while commercial miners use other forms. Environmental concerns include altering river shape and releasing mercury. Some areas have placed limits on dredging, but miners argue it can benefit river ecology.
Dredger mining is the extraction of sediment deposited by flowing water, such as gravel, sand, and rock, to harvest valuable materials, such as gold. Generally, sediment is either sucked up from the bottom of a body of water or buckets are used to collect the sediment. Dredger mining is the technique that is often used by commercial and recreational miners to harvest raw gold. When mining for gold, the dredger is used to excavate, sort materials, collect gold, and dump unwanted sediment.
Most recreational gold mining is done through suction dredge mining, also called modern dredging. The suction dredger is easy to operate by one or two individuals, making it very popular in areas where gold ore is found. Generally, the suction dredger sucks up the sediment through a pipe that sits at the bottom of the river or stream. After the sediment has been drawn onto the surface of the dredger, it is processed and sorted through a sluice gate. The lock is used to remove any valuable materials, while the waste sediment is typically discharged from the dredger.
While suction dredger mining is easy to use and popular, there are also many other forms of dredger mining that are used, particularly by commercial miners. For example, canal lock dredging uses a bucket to scoop out sediment and work it through a lock into shallow water. A screen and trough dredge is used to work with larger rocks, separating sediment from larger materials using a screen that rotates. A table-top stacker dredger uses a series of buckets to dig up sediment and separate it from valuable materials via sluices.
Although dredger mining has been used for centuries, there are some environmental concerns related to the technique. For example, it is feared that it could alter the shape of a river and muddy its waters by churning up silt. Additionally, some researchers say that dredged mining can release mercury into the river when the sediment is disturbed. The fear is that fish, such as salmon, could be harmed by mercury.
In some areas, such as California, limits and judicial moratoriums on dredging have been placed. Miners have responded to these limitations by claiming they can help river ecology by preventing excessive sedimentation. They also claim that by removing sediment from rivers, the river water temperature will be cooler and better for river life.
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