Idaho Maryland Mine - Rise Grass Valley

Project Contact: Senior Planner, Matt Kelley 

Email: Idaho.MMEIR@co.nevada.ca.us

Our Role

This is an application for a proposed Conditional Use Permit and Reclamation Plan for the Idaho Maryland Mine, owned by Rise Grass Valley, a private company. The County’s role will be to process and review the application for consideration by the Nevada County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors in accordance with the requirements of the County General Plan, Land Use and Development Code, California Environmental Quality Act, and other appropriate state and federal laws. 

How to Get Involved

As part of the review process, there will be opportunities for the public to provide comments on the proposed project. These opportunities will include upcoming noticed Public Meetings as part of the environmental review process and noticed Public Hearings on the draft and final environmental documents. Please sign up using the link below to receive these notifications as well as other project updates and information.

To request alerts for updates on this project, as well as information on upcoming opportunities to provide comments, please click here.

Please visit these pages to see upcoming Planning Commission and Board of Supervisor meetings.

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Idaho Maryland Mine EIR Process

Please note:

  • The row highlighted in GREY indicates where we are in the process. 
  • The text bubble icon indicates steps in the process when public hearings will be held. Icon with dark blue background and white speech bubble
STEPSDESCRIPTIONCURRENT STATUS
Project Application Submitted to the Nevada County Planning DepartmentCompleted
Notice of Preparation (NOP) of Environmental Impact Report (EIR) Scoping Meeting and Comment PeriodCompleted
County Consultant drafts EIR based on submitted technical studies and application documents prepared by the applicant and peer reviews and public commentsCompleted
Draft EIR Page is released 60-day public and agency comment period as required by the California Environmental Quality Act. See Revised NOA that includes an extension through April 4, 2022.Completed

4a

Icon with dark blue background and white speech bubbleSpecial Public Meeting held with the Nevada County Planning Commission to receive verbal public comments on the Draft EIR Page
Completed See Agenda for this meeting. and Staff Report. Watch recording.
County Consultant drafts Final EIR which contains responses to all comments received during the public Draft EIR public comment period.Completed

Final EIR released for public comment period for no less than 10 days.  Final EIR Notice of Availability

December 16, 2022
Icon with dark blue background and white speech bubblePublic Hearing(s) with the Nevada County Planning Commission to consider the Final EIR and Project Entitlements. Notice of Public HearingMay 10 and continued to May 11 as needed. Learn more: Notice of Public Hearing Info

7a

Nevada County Planning Commission makes a recommendation on the project to the Nevada County Board of Supervisors.

Icon with dark blue background and white speech bubblePublic Hearing(s) with the Nevada County Board of Supervisors to consider the recommendation of the Planning Commission and all public and agency comments received during the application process.No sooner than August 2023

8a

Nevada County Board of Supervisors makes a final decision on the project.

  1. Project Description
  2. Environmental Impact Report Documents
  3. Project Documents
  4. Scoping Meeting - July 2020

Project Description

The project is a combined application for a Conditional Use Permit and Reclamation Plan to reinitiate underground mining and gold mineralization processing of the Idaho-Maryland Mine within unincorporated Western Nevada County. The proposed project would be located on two properties owned by Rise Grass Valley, which are referred to as the Brunswick Industrial Site and the Centennial Site. As proposed, the project would be comprised of approximately 175 total surface acres and approximately 2,585 subsurface acres to which the applicant retains the mineral rights.

As proposed, the project would include the following elements:

  • Surface access to subsurface mining. 
  • Dewatering of the existing underground mine workings.
  • Mining existing and new underground mine workings.
  • Processing gold mineralization and rock.
  • Placing engineered fill at the Brunswick and Centennial Industrial Sites
  • Export of engineered fill from the Brunswick Industrial Site to support local construction projects.
  • Operation of pumps and a water treatment facility to dewater the underground mine workings.
  • Construction of a water pipeline to transport treated water to an outfall located in South Fork Wolf Creek.
  • Construction of the necessary aboveground facilities at the Brunswick Industrial Site (to include but not limited to, headframes and hoists, surface structures, a mineral processing plant) to support underground mining and mineral processing.
  • Underground mining, including drilling, blasting, and gold mineralization removal.
  • Gold mineralization and rock processing at the Brunswick Industrial Site and off-site transport of gold concentrate.
  • Transport of engineered fill from the Brunswick Industrial Site and placement at the Centennial Industrial Site.
  • Transport of engineered fill from the Brunswick Industrial Site to off-site construction projects.
  • Placement of engineered fill at the Brunswick Industrial Site.
  • Construction of a potable water pipeline to supply residences along a portion of East Bennet Road.

As proposed the project would include a Rezone application to rezone the parcels located at the Brunswick Industrial Site from Light Industrial (M1) with Site Performance Combining District (SP) to Light Industrial (M1) with Mineral Extraction Combining District (M1-ME) to allow for sub-surface mining operations and to provide for public awareness of the potential surface mining to occur where adequate information indicates that significant mineral deposits are likely present.  The project would also include a Reclamation Plan and required Financial Assurance Cost Mechanisms to reclaim the project site to a condition suitable for industrial uses as allowed by the Nevada County Land Use and Development Code, Section L-II 2.5 – Industrial Uses and Table L-II 2.5.D – Light Industrial.

In addition to the entitlements listed above, the project would also include the following entitlements:

  • Variance to the Building Height Limits to allow for the construction of several structures up to a height of 165 feet, where 45 feet is the maximum height limit allowed pursuant to the Light Industrial Zoning District.
  • Management Plan to allow for development within the required 100-foot setback of the Riparian Area of a Perennial Watercourse, at the Brunswick Industrial Site and to minimize the direct impact to special-status plant species, at the Centennial Industrial Site.
  • Management Plan to allow for development within the required 100-foot setback from the high water mark of existing Perennial Streams, 100 feet from all Wetlands and Riparian areas and 50 feet from the high water mark of Intermittent Streams at the Centennial Industrial Site.
  • Management Plan component to allow development within locations of areas of steep slopes that are in excess of 30% at both the Centennial Industrial Site and the Brunswick Industrial Site.
  • Management Plan component to allow for development within a building setback fault zone at the Brunswick Industrial Site.
  • Boundary Line Adjustment that would transfer approximately 46.27 acres for three separate parcels (APN: 009-630-039, 006-441-034, 006-441-003) to reconfigure their property lines to resolve an issue of proposed buildings crossing property lines at the Brunswick Industrial Site.
  • Subdivision Map Amendment to amends Lots 7 & 8 of the Bet Acres Subdivision Map to remove the 200-foot Building Setbacks on each side of the designated Fault Line as shown on the subdivision map.
  1. Nevada County Planning Commission Recommends the Denial of Proposed Idaho-Maryland Mine

    Today, the Nevada County Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend the denial of the proposed Idaho Maryland Mine project and the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to the Nevada County Board of Supervisors. Learn More
  2. Proposed Idaho-Maryland Mine Public Hearing on May 10th

    Today, the Nevada County Planning Department released the staff report on the proposed Idaho Maryland Mine – Rise Grass Valley Project for the May 10th Planning Commission Public Hearing. Learn More
  3. Proposed Idaho-Maryland Mine Project Notice of Public Hearing Released

    Nevada County Planning Department released the Notice of Public Hearing on the proposed Idaho Maryland Mine – Rise Grass Valley Project. The Planning Commission will hold a meeting for Public Hearing on May 10 and may be continued on May 11 as needed. Learn More
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