GOLD BEACH – The Curry County Board of Commissioners’ hearing room overflowed Wednesday as commissioners began hearing testimony on the appeal of the Planning Commission’s approval of a permit for Tidewater Contractors to mine gravel at the old mill site on the Rogue River.

The majority of those who spoke opposed the approval of the three-year conditional use permit to mine up to 36,000 cubic yards of gravel each year at the site.

The city of Gold Beach joined nearby residents and Curry Sportfishing Association in the appeal. 

 The Gold Beach City Council voted to join the appeal after being told planning commissioners did not give adequate consideration to what that might do to the city’s water supply.

Robert Elayer, representing Tidewater, told the commissioners that the part of the mill site Tidewater hopes to mine is at the south end of the 43-acre parcel.

He said the Gold Beach water intake is 3,500 feet upriver from that site.

“From where we mine, it’s almost a mile away. We are a considerable distance from the intake,” Elayer said.

He said the water intake was an issue that had been taken to LUBA (The Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals).

“They said they could not see any reason why water would flow uphill in this case,” Elayer said.

Mayor Jim Wernicke said that the city doesn’t get its water directly from the river but from groundwater around the river.

“Groundwater doesn’t follow the same rules as river water,” Wernicke said. 

He suggested that a study be done of the area to determine if the mining would affect the groundwater or the aquifer, or a possible river course change.

And he said Tidewater should be required to furnish an insurance policy to protect the city’s water.

“If ground water doesn’t flow uphill, an insurance policy should be very inexpensive,” Wernicke said.

Some property owners near the mine site protested noise and dust stirred up during mining.

Wilbur Andreson said he was a developer of the Indian Hills Development.

“We have used Tidewater extensively,” Andreson said.

“They do a wonderful job,” he said of Tidewater employees, but he said that wasn’t necessarily so with the company itself.

“I have a real problem with their credibility and culpability,” he said. “I have nothing against the gentlemen who do the work on the ground.”

Shelly Eaton said she and her neighbors are losing part of their property that is being washed out by the river.

“I have been told by experts that any harvesting in that area would drastically change the flow of that river,” she said.

Eaton said the gravel mining would result in sending more water up the secondary channel, which is already causing severe erosion to adjoining property.

Barrett Edgar said he is opposed to the project because he believes it will harm fish in the river.

“The fisheries is what makes Gold Beach work economically,” Edgar said. “I’m not against gravel mining in a different area. I think the county needs to designate a gravel area up slope. Get us out of the Rogue River.”

Others said the mining could go on for years, moving further upstream, taking more of the mill site which is known to have contaminants buried. Elayer said that is not the case.

“There’s not enough gravel resource there,” Elayer said. “We’re probably going to get material there five more years. That’s it.”

He said the way Tidewater will mine would take pressure off the secondary channel, resulting in less water going there to cause erosion.

“The intake of the secondary channel is above where we’re mining. We’re allowing more water to come through,” he said.

But he said that rivers naturally change over time.

“They meander,” Elayer said. “Anyone building next to them will have problems eventually.”

The commissioners closed oral hearings and agreed to take written testimony until 5 p.m. Dec. 28. Rebuttal of that written testimony can be submitted until 5 p.m. Jan. 4. Then Tidewater will have until 5 p.m. Jan. 11 for final written arguments. The board will make a decision at a meeting scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Jan. 18.

The appeal is being heard only by Commissioners George Rhodes and Bill Waddle. Commissioner David Itzen recused himself, saying he had a conflict of interest because his sister-in-law is employed by Tidewater.