AN ASSESSMENT OF THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF GOLD MINING IN VIRGINIA

Virginia was one of the first gold-producing states in the nation, but only intermittent activity has occurred in the past 70 years. Recently, there has been renewed attention for gold exploration in Virginia, both at new and at historical sites where advances in mining and processing techniques might allow for the profitable production or remining of gold from deposits that were previously uneconomic.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on Potential Impacts of Gold Mining in Virginia was formed following Virginia House Bill 2213, which passed in response to stakeholder concerns regarding potential impacts of gold exploration in central Virginia. The committee found that most known gold occurrences in Virginia are smaller than those in other gold-producing states and mostly associated with metamorphic and igneous rocks in the Piedmont physiographic province. These deposits occur in lens-shaped, low-sulfide, gold-quartz veins (<5 % pyrite) that dip at steep angles, making shallow open pit and underground mining the most likely extraction method. Massive sulfide bodies can occur in close proximity to the low-sulfide, gold-quartz vein deposits in Virginia, and could release acid rock drainage and metals if disturbed.

The major potential impacts of concern are related to surface water and groundwater contamination, groundwater table drawdown, remobilization of legacy mercury from past uses, rare but catastrophic events such as dam failures and spills, and cumulative health effects due to interacting stressors. All of these factors are likely to affect some communities more than others, particularly those with lower socioeconomic status and higher proportions of racial and ethnic minorities.

The committee found that Virginia’s current regulatory framework that is designed for industrial minerals operations is not adequate to address the potential impacts of commercial gold mining. More specifically, Virginia’s regulatory framework lacks an adequate financial assurance system, which poses a fiscal and environmental risk to the Commonwealth. Additionally, Virginia policy lacks opportunities for a diverse public to be engaged in permitting processes and a modern system for review of environmental impacts.

Author representing the NASEM Committee on Potential Impacts of Gold Mining in Virginia