Public comment is invited through Oct. 22 on a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) environmental assessment regarding a proposed American Flat Mill site activity in Storey County.
The BLM Carson City District’s Sierra Front Field Office has drafted the assessment to evaluate proposed action to temporarily expand the existing closure to facilitate better management of the site and vicinity during demolition and reclamation activities. The site is to be demolished and reclaimed for safety purposes.
The united Comstock merger mill site is located on public lands near Gold Hill in Storey County.
It was built in 1922 to process gold and silver ore. It was described then as the largest concrete mill in the nation. Since the site’s abandonment in 1926, the seven acre site has been used for parties, to post graffiti and to conduct paint ball fights despite physical safety hazards that include falling concrete, underground mill sumps filled with water, and holes in concrete flooring.
A 2008 site audit by the Department of Interior’s Office of the Inspector General determined the mill site is a high risk liability to the federal government.
In 2012, the BLM agreed with the State Historic Preservation Officer and others to mitigate adverse effects from demolition.
It includes off-site exhibits, brochures and other media.
Links to the environmental assessment and related documents are on the BLM website at http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/carson_city_field/blm_information/nepa.html. Written comments should go to BLM’s Carson City office at 5665 Morgan Mill Rd, Carson City, 89701, attention Dan Erbes.
