Whitewood Creek mining proposal raises new hopes, old fears

There will be some similarities with operations that have caused problems and controversy in the past. They include the use of cyanide to leach gold out of the sandy tailings.
The cyanide-leaching process automatically kicks the mining operation up into a higher level of regulation. Unlike huge leach piles of some surface mines, Goldstake's cyanide-leaching would be done in vats located at a processing site on the property.
Working with tailings long ago crushed from larger rocks will make that process simpler, Cepak said.
"I think they'll pretty much dig it up and add water, agitate and put it into the vats," he said.
But the mix of the cyanide-leaching, the old tailings and their potential threat to the environment will make for a intensive review process. It will include a year of water and other natural resource sampling by Goldstake and examination of the plan and its impacts prior to a decision on the permit application by the state Board of Minerals and Environment.
http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/whitewood-creek-mining-proposal-raises-new-hopes-old-fears/article_8049a19d-05ab-5847-8b8a-6c2ebcc4191f.html