Do you need a permit to dredge in Oregon?

Do you need a permit to dredge in Oregon?

In rivers, streams, and some other waters of the state, a removal-fill permit from the Department of State Lands (DSL) is required for any activity that will cumulatively fill, remove, or move 50 cubic yards or more of material below the ordinary high water mark.

Can I dredge for gold in Oregon?

Oregon has always allowed suction dredge gold mining on its rivers. It’s the modernized version of panning by hand for gold, which was quite common in some areas of the U.S. in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. One of the areas well known for gold mining is the southwest Oregon coast.

Do I need a permit to pan for gold in Oregon?

Gold panning is allowed on most U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. You don’t need a permit or any special equipment, just a small pan and big enthusiasm.

Can you use a dredge in Oregon?

A person may not discharge from a suction dredge or in-water non-motorized mining equipment without a permit under the federal Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). DEQ has been delegated the authority by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue NPDES permits in Oregon.

Is hand dredging legal?

Under that authority, the use of any vacuum or suction dredge equipment by any person in any river, stream or lake in California is prohibited, unless authorized under a permit issued by CDFW. (Fish & G. Code, § 5653, subd.

How deep can you dredge gold?

The ultimate depth to which a dredge can dig has not yet been determined and alluvium about 100 feet deep is now being handled with great success and probably greater depths could be dredged if found to exist. Banks as high as 30 to 40 feet above the water level are also successfully handled.