Historical Operations of Brewer Gold
The Brewer Gold Mine was mined intermittently for over 170 years with commercial gold production beginning in 1828, though there are tales of Native Americans trading gold acquired at or near the site much earlier. The original Brewer pit dates from the 1850s or 1860s. The historic mine included pits and tunnels, and required enormous amounts of manual labor.
The most recent and largest period of mining was from 1987 to 1995, when the Brewer Gold Company mined over 12,000,000 tons of ore and waste rock from three open pits (Brewer, B-6, and Northwest Trend) at the Site.
The Brewer pit was and open pit originally excavated to 330 feet elevation and the B-6 pit was excavated to a depth of about 340 ft (see photo above). The company operated the property as an open pit, heap leach operation. Gold ore was mined crushed, agglomerated with cement, and placed on permanent, lined leach pads.
The ore was sprayed with a dilute cyanide solution that leached gold and carried it down to collection ponds. The gold-laden solution was pumped to a treatment system for gold recovery and the barren cyanide solution was refortified and returned to the leach heaps (see above photo of waste rock pile and gold recovery treatment system). Waste rock was stockpiled on the south side of the pit when mining ceased. The operation consisted of three pits; six leach heaps; one waste rock dump area; six process, sediment retention, and water storage ponds; and numerous shops, offices, and process facilities.
At the end of operations in 1995, Brewer Gold Company closed and began reclamation of the mine following a plan outlined under an order issued by the State of South Carolina (see above photo). Reclamation activities included dewatering and backfilling the Brewer and B-6 pits, constructing a temporary water treatment plant to handle the water removed from the pits, installing a geosynthetic liner over the pit area, rinsing leach heaps, dismantling unnecessary facilities, and constructing a passive treatment system to deal with contaminated seepage over the long term. Pit dewatering removed an estimated 120 million gallons of acidic water and was completed in 1999. The water was treated in a temporary wastewater treatment plant and discharged to Little Fork Creek under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control (the "Department").
The closure resulted in a fully reclaimed Brewer pit (see above photo of current condition of the pit). However, as closure activities were ongoing, acid rock drainage began to flow from seeps located a few hundred feet from Little Fork Creek. This rendered the planned passive treatment system (an anoxic limestone drain) completely ineffective. The plan to demolish and place the water treatment plant in the pit during closure was abandoned when the plant was needed to treat the contaminated seepage.
In 1999, Brewer Gold Company informed the Department that it intended to abandon the site. The Department obtained a court-issued injunction to stop Brewer Gold Company from abandoning the site, but Brewer Gold Company proceeded with abandonment of the property and associated wastewater treatment operations as it had intended, and its parent corporation went back the England without providing for further remedies. Since such time, there has been no further mining at the site until the current exploration plan began in 2019. While exploration is underway, the acid mine drainage is collected and treated on site, and clean water is held in the old NW Trend pit (see photo above) and ultimately discharged into Little Fork Creek.
Photos of Current Operations on Site
Acid drainage is collected and pumped to the former Pad 6 in a double-lined holding basin.
The acid drainage is pumped from the Pad 6 holding basin into a mixing tank where it is combined with a limestone slurry, and from there to the former NM Trend pit.
Acid drainage is collected and pumped to the former Pad 6 in a double-lined holding basin.
The Pad 6 holding basin has a back-up collection system to ensure that nothing escapes.
The acid drainage is pumped from the Pad 6 holding basin into a mixing tank where it is combined with a limestone slurry, and from there to the former NM Trend pit.
Acid drainage is collected and pumped to the former Pad 6 in a double-lined holding basin.
The acid drainage is pumped from the Pad 6 holding basin into a mixing tank where it is combined with a limestone slurry, and from there to the former NM Trend pit.
The acid drainage is pumped from the Pad 6 holding basin into a mixing tank where it is combined with a limestone slurry, and from there to the former NM Trend pit.
The acid drainage is pumped from the Pad 6 holding basin into a mixing tank where it is combined with a limestone slurry, and from there to the former NM Trend pit.
The mixed solution takes a few hours to turn from dangerous to water clean enough to swim in.
The mixed solution takes a few hours to turn from dangerous to water clean enough to swim in.
The acid drainage is pumped from the Pad 6 holding basin into a mixing tank where it is combined with a limestone slurry, and from there to the former NM Trend pit.
Drying cells where the sludge from the treatment pond is dewatered.
The mixed solution takes a few hours to turn from dangerous to water clean enough to swim in.
Drying cells where the sludge from the treatment pond is dewatered.
One of the coring rigs in the field.
The mixed solution takes a few hours to turn from dangerous to water clean enough to swim in.
Drying cells where the sludge from the treatment pond is dewatered.
A diamond drill exploring an azimuth.
Chief geologist for Carolina Rush, Patrick Quigley, examining core in the field prior to assays.
A diamond drill exploring an azimuth.
Core from exploration activities.
Chief geologist for Carolina Rush, Patrick Quigley, examining core in the field prior to assays.
A diamond drill exploring an azimuth.
Chief geologist for Carolina Rush, Patrick Quigley, examining core in the field prior to assays.
Chief geologist for Carolina Rush, Patrick Quigley, examining core in the field prior to assays.
Chief geologist for Carolina Rush, Patrick Quigley, examining core in the field prior to assays.
Jim McLain, long -time caretaker of the Brewer, reviewing on-site operations.
Every inch of core is split in half. One half goes to a laborotory to be assayed, and the other half remains in storage.
Chief geologist for Carolina Rush, Patrick Quigley, examining core in the field prior to assays.
Every inch of core is split in half. One half goes to a laborotory to be assayed, and the other half remains in storage.
Every inch of core is split in half. One half goes to a laborotory to be assayed, and the other half remains in storage.
Every inch of core is split in half. One half goes to a laborotory to be assayed, and the other half remains in storage.