Wet Winter In California Sparks New Gold Rush

Albert Fausel has been scouring the rivers of Placerville, California for decades in search of gold. But the task has never been easier, nor the haul bigger, thanks to recent torrential rains.

“This year, there’s a lot of new spots” to find gold, says Fausel, clad in a wetsuit and snorkel, standing up to his knees in water.

Among the mix of clay and sand emptied onto a plastic tray, unmistakable shiny particles glitter brightly under the strong midday sun.

While his search near the shoreline has yielded “a small amount of gold,” he predicts that closer to the middle of the river, “there’s probably going to be a lot larger, bigger, heavier pieces.”

Fausel collects his bounty with a tool that resembles a suction pump, before adjusting his snorkel and disappearing back into the water.