WaterWatch went to trial in March regarding a water right for a proposed large-scale open pit mine along Grave Creek in Sunny Valley. A popular put-in for boaters, Grave Creek is an important stream for salmon, steelhead, and lamprey that flows into the Rogue River at the upper end of its Wild and Scenic reach.
The proposed aggregate mine, Sunny Valley Sand and Gravel, which was originally planned as a gold mine, would entail excavating at least eight pits 40 to 80 feet deep — including a solid band of about a half dozen along the bank of Grave Creek within 50 feet of the water.
An extensive amount of water that simply is not available in this cherished Southern Oregon stream, or is already spoken for including to meet the instream water right, would be needed to run the mine.
According to an application filed by the company with OWRD, the mine’s water use would require 3,000 gallons per minute (6.68 cubic feet per second) five days a week, eight hours a day, 50 weeks per year. There is a long history of attempts to secure water permits stretching back at least until 2012 — those have largely failed due in large part to concerns raised over the lack of water.
In addition to the impacts to the streamflow, water quality, fish and wildlife of Grave Creek, there are significant concerns regarding the potential to affect the many domestic wells that residents of this valley rely upon for drinking water. Recent headlines regarding domestic wells contaminated with manganese near an aggregate mine in Crook County, which now involve our governor and federal senators, elevate the concern for residential drinking water impacts.
This article originally appeared in the spring 2025 issue of WaterWatch of Oregon’s Instream newsletter. Map courtesy of Friends of Country Living.
