By Erich Obermayr
Silver City, Nevada —population around 200 — is a small, unincorporated community in rural northwestern Nevada. It is located along State Route 342, in Gold Canyon, 3.5 miles from Virginia City. It lies within the Virginia City National Historic Landmark and the Comstock Historic District. The nearest large cities are Reno, 20 miles to the north, and Carson City, 9 miles to the southwest.
Silver City is comprised of approximately 70 households, and includes a post office, volunteer fire station, and community center. There is one commercial establishment in town, and a number of home businesses.
Silver City residents engage in a range of occupations, among them construction workers, insurance agents, miners, archaeologists, wedding photographers, teachers, city, state, and federal employees, attorneys, artists, and musicians. A number of residents own their own businesses, and retirees comprise a significant portion of the population.
The people of Silver City take their responsibilities as citizens seriously, and the town has a long and distinguished record of public service. Residents currently serve on the Lyon County School Board, Lyon County Planning Commission, the Central Lyon County Parks and Recreation Advisory Council, the Comstock Historic District Commission, the Comstock Cemetery Foundation Board, and the town’s Citizen Advisory Council. There is a volunteer fire department, volunteer library, community garden, recycling program, and a range of youth and community activities—from once-a-month soup night at the community center to T’ai Chi classes.
Silver City is a true community. It is at the same time a quiet place to live and raise a family and a town accustomed to standing up for itself. It is a community built on values, like knowing and caring about neighbors and being willing to pitch in when the need arises.
Mining and Silver City
Silver City, along with Virginia City and Gold Hill, were the three urban centers of the nineteenth century Comstock mining boom. The area prospered after the discovery of silver and gold lode deposits in 1859, and during the “Big Bonanza” of the 1870s. Bonanza times ended in the 1880s, and decades of boom and bust followed, typical of a mining economy. At times in the twentieth century, Silver City resembled a ghost town, only to come back to life—on a modest scale—as the economy dictated. In the second half of the twentieth century, tourism replaced mining as the Comstock’s economic driver, and Silver City became a residential community.
Today, gold prices have reached $1,400 per ounce and silver prices are also at historic highs. This means previously uneconomical deposits can now be mined profitably, and it has stimulated the search for new deposits throughout the Comstock.
At the present time, Comstock Mining, Inc. is conducting an extensive exploratory drilling operation within Silver City and adjacent the southern town limits. This drilling program is clearly intended as preparation for open pit mining in Silver City.
In December, 2010, Comstock Mining, Inc. presented to the Lyon County Board of Commissioners a request to change the land-use designation of the parcel within Silver City where the drilling is now taking place (a copy of theDec. 13, 2010 letter from Comstock Mining, Inc to Lyon Commissioners is on record). The request was to re-designate the parcel from its current “Suburban” designation to “Resource.” The effect would have been to allow mining on the parcel. The Board of Commissioners took no action on this request, and referred Comstock Mining, Inc., to the Lyon County Planning Commission as the proper venue. (At this time, the re-designation request has not been submitted to the Planning Commission.)
Silver City residents appeared at this same Board of Commissioners meeting to oppose Comstock’s request. On Dec. 23, 2010, the Lyon County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the Lyon County Comprehensive Master Plan, which retained the Suburban designation for the parcel in question. Silver City residents attended the meeting, and expressed their support of the Comprehensive Master Plan (see Lyon County Master Plan).
In December, 2011, Comstock Mining, Inc. began their current exploratory drilling program. The drilling has severely disrupted the quality of life for residents of Silver City. A motion expressing citizens’ concerns about the drilling program was passed unanimously at the Feb 1, 2011, Silver City Citizens Advisory Council meeting, and presented at the Lyon County Board of Commissioners meeting on Feb 3 (See copy of Feb. 1 motion below).
In addition, a petition expressing opposition to mining in Silver City was circulated and signed by 93 residents (on record with Lyon County Commissioners). This petition was presented to the Lyon County Commission, Feb 17, 2011.
Copy of Motion Passed by Silver City, Nevada on Feb. 1, 2011
Motion passed unanimously by voice vote at the Feb 1, 2011, meeting of the Silver City Citizen Advisory Council by Silver City residents in attendance, and subsequently presented to Lyon County Board of Commissioners:
Whereas:
The following situation presently exists in Silver City:
For the past weeks Comstock Mining, Inc. has conducted core drilling operations within and immediately adjacent Silver City, Lyon County, Nevada.
Drilling operations and associated road construction, pad clearing, and maintenance and support operations produce noise, dust, and traffic which completely disrupt the peace and quiet which are fundamental elements of our town.
The noise from the heavy equipment is a constant, pulsing low-level roar punctuated by bursts of acceleration and backup horns. This all can be heard indoors and out, at almost every residence in town. This begins at 6 a.m. on weekdays, at 8 a.m. on weekends, and lasts until 6 p.m. Maintenance and bulldozing often begin earlier, and continue until after the drill rigs have shut down. The noise and activity are having an immediate and damaging effect on the quality of life in Silver City, and has the potential for serious negative impacts to property values.
We, the citizens of Silver City, respectfully move that the Lyon County Board of Commissioners address the following questions:
Why is an industrial-scale drilling operation allowed to take place within the Silver City townsite, an area designated in the Lyon County Master Plan as Suburban, and zoned for residential use?
Why is this activity, which clearly is the first step in a major mining project, allowed in an area in which such an activity is inappropriate?
Why are unrestricted earth moving and landscape alteration activities being allowed within the Comstock National Historic District?
Why are earth moving and landscape alteration being allowed without taking into account the potentially harmful effects on the surrounding area —effects such as drainage richand erosion problems, damage to the watershed, and disturbance of chemically contaminated mill tailings?