Haile Gold Mine Project Issued Permit

Published Oct. 28, 2014
Lt. Col. John Litz signs the Record of Decision and issues the permit for the Haile Gold Mine project with Diane Garrett, President and CEO of Romarco Minerals, Inc.

Lt. Col. John Litz signs the Record of Decision and issues the permit for the Haile Gold Mine project with Diane Garrett, President and CEO of Romarco Minerals, Inc.

Charleston, S.C. – Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District announces the release of the Record of Decision and issued a permit with conditions for the proposed Haile Gold Mine project near Kershaw, S.C. in Lancaster County. The proposed Haile Gold Mine project is to reactivate the existing gold mine, expand the area for open pit mining and construct associated facilities.

The permit decision follows a three-year environmental study and project review which included detailed data collection and mathematical modeling of predicted groundwater drawdown and associated effects on wetlands and streams in the project area as mine pits are excavated and dewatered during mining.

“Issuing the permit for the Haile Gold Mine project is the culmination of a long process,” said Lt. Col. John Litz, district commander. “We’ve received a lot of public and agency participation along the way, and believe that helped us to make the right decision for this project by balancing the economic needs of the area with the environmental responsibility of being the nation’s environmental engineer.”

Compensatory mitigation for direct fill impacts to 120 acres of wetlands and 26,460 feet of streams was accomplished by reviewing and accepting the applicant proposal to acquire and donate three ecologically significant tracts of high-quality wetland/stream ecosystems to the South Carolina Heritage Trust Program for perpetual long-term maintenance. 

Cooperating agencies on the preparation of the Draft and Final EIS documents included U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Catawba Indian Nation, and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

For more information on the Haile Gold Mine project, please visit www.hailegoldmineeis.com.

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Contact
Sean McBride
843-329-8103
sean.o.mcbride@usace.army.mil

Release no. 14-1003