[farmfriend]

I don't know if, over the history of the reservoir, the watershed has been polluted by heavy metals or other chemicals, but if so, they would be trapped in the sediment.

You mean like Mercury from gold mining? Seems like we have had a bit of that here in CA.

Actually I have read reports about the very thing you have here. I was going to see if I could dig up the article I read but have not had time. No removing this dam would not bring the valley back.

[Smokin' Joe]

Mercury is a sure winner, especially in an old placer mining area. Free milling lode gold would probably contribute to the contamination as well. There is a good chance for placer gold accumulations at the place where the tributaries enter the reservoir even now, especially near the bedrock.

BTW, if the dam is breached, anyone recovering that mercury would probably recover a significant amount of gold with it. Get paid to do the enviro-remediation and mine gold as a byproduct. Hmmmm.