Itís been almost 50 years since North Carolinaís last gold mining operation shut down. Interest now is pretty much limited to historic interpretation, with sites such as Gold Hill in Rowan County and the Reed Gold Mine in Cabarrus mining tourism instead of yellow nuggets.
Those rambunctious Piedmont gold-rush days ó which predated the Sutterís Mill gold rush in California by several decades ó seem far removed from the modern landscape of interstate highways and shopping malls. Itís but a footnote in history that the state once boasted dozens of working gold mines, earning it the nickname ěGolden Stateî before it became better known as the home of Tar Heels.
But gold is once again attracting attention in the Carolinas. A fascinating story in The State newspaper of Columbia, S.C., describes an industrial exploration already under way in Lancaster County, just across the state line from Charlotte. Romarco Minerals, a Canadian company, is doing some test digging at the historic Haile Gold Mine site. If the companyís plans pan out, it envisions a major gold-mining operation that could create hundreds of jobs and generate up to 2 million ounces of gold. It would be the largest gold-mining operation east of the Mississippi, and with gold currently selling for about $1,400 an ounce, itís potentially a multibillion-dollar enterprise.
So far, it sounds pretty good. But this isnít your great-grandfatherís gold mine. Instead of narrow shafts sunk into the ground, it involves large-scale earth removal, requiring a pit that would eventually be a mile wide and 840 feet deep. It would entail the obliteration of about 160 acres of wetlands and reconfiguration of miles of creeks and streams, according to the article. Then thereís the gold extraction process itself, which uses toxic cyanide to separate gold from crushed ore.
Company officials say modern containment processes make the process safe. They also say the wetlands loss and other environmental impacts can be mitigated through donations of other lands nearby and reclamation practices that eventually will fill in the pits and cover them with vegetation. Thereís no conflict, supposedly, between going for the gold and being green.
South Carolina and federal environmental officials should scrutinize the companyís plans ó and its longterm commitment ó before giving the final go-ahead. With potential gold veins still lying underground, North Carolinaís economic and natural resource leaders should be keeping a close eye on the venture, too. From an economic development standpoint alone, a modern-day gold rush might sound enticing. But history holds a cautionary note. Gold fever can subside just as quickly as it strikes. The stateís abandoned mining sites are proof of that.