The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter., 1962-07-27
STREAM GROUP
GIVES NOD FOR
RIVER MINING
Stream Sanitation COMMITTEES
Gives Approval For
Pilot Study

Pilot Study
The go-ahead for a pilot plan
to mine phosphate in the Pam
lico and Pungo Rivers was given
to Texas Gulf Sulphur Co. and
Magnet Cove Barium Corp. by
the State Stream Sanitation
Committee on Wednesday. The
plan will not go into effect until
approved by Governor Terry
Sanford and the Council of
State.
Vivian Whitfield of Wallace,
chairman of the committee,
stated that the sanitation group
would be willing to accept min
ing on a permanent basis in the
river bottoms, if the pilot plan
indicates that the operation will
not pollute the rivers. Whitfield
noted that "the committee is
perfectly willing for a pilot plan
to be put into operation"
Draft Recommendations
The committee held a closed
session on Wednesday, after the
meeting with officials from
Texas Gulf and Magnet Cove,
to outline detailed recommenda-
tions on the porject. The recon-
mendations will be submitted to
the governor and Council of
state, whose approval could put
the plan into operation.
The pilot plan approval, by
the stream group, followed ac-
ton taken recently by the State
Board of Conservation and
Development, which approved
bid awards for phosphate min
ing by the two firms in the
Pungo and Pamlico Rivers.
$50 Million
DR.. Leo Miller of Texas Gulf
Sulphur stated that his firm
"may spend as much as $50
million in plants and dredges
for phosphate mining in the
Washington area. He emphasiz-
ed that his firm will spend most
of it's efforts mining land-based
deposits on the south shore of
the Pamlico River, about Is
miles east of Washington. River
mining, he said, would not start
until about the fourth OF fifth
year of operation.
Largest Dredges in World
Miller noted that his company
is now designing two hydraulic
dredges expected to be the
largest in the world. The total
cost for the dredges has been
estimated at nearly Sc million
by officials of Texas Gulf.
Dangers Not Eyalua ed
Whitfield read a report by
Sanitation Committee staffers
on phosphate mining in Florida,
at the meeting which indicated.
he said that land based mining
in Beaufort "would not unduly
pollute the rivers" The report
emphasized that the dangers of
river bottom mining could not
be evaluated.
After hearing the report,
Miller and L. l.. McMurray of
Magnet Cove said that their
companies would cooperate with
the stream board.
McMurray said his company
intends to use a pumping pro-
cess of the oil field type to
secure phosphate ore from the
Pungo River. Magnet Cove in
tends, he said, to test its oper-
alton during the five-year lease
proposed by the CID Board.
Test studies by Magnet Cove
would begin by next March, ac-
cording to McMurray, who in
dicated that his company in
tends to work from floating
barages in its mining operation.
Plant Certain
"We're going to have a plant
there whether we have the river
(mining) or not" Miller assert
ed. He emphasized that most of
Texas Cuffs operation would be
conducted close to shore, with
waste materials being pumped
ashore and not dumped back
into the Pamlico.
Both spokesman noted that
they were sure their firms oper-
ations would not alter the river
classification accorded the
waterways by the Stream Sani-
| tation Committee. Texas Cuffs
Miller observed that his firms
operation in the Washington
area would employ from 250-
800 men in the area. Magnet
Cove listed it's possible force al