Todd Hoffman faces a massive water crisis this week on Gold Rush — that could cost him as much as $50,000 and a week of lost work.
While he has two wash plants up and running, his third, Rusty Red, is at a standstill. Around $150,000 to $175,000 has already been spent fixing it up, but now the operation has been dealt a huge blow after state officials banned the Hoffman crew from using their planned water source for sluicing.
Watch our exclusive clip from this week’s Gold Rush below as Freddy Dodge breaks the bad news to Todd — whose face, above, says it all.
DON’T MISS: Read our super-rare interview with Gold Rush star Monica Beets
Todd has been running the “ugly” Double Trouble plant, while his son Hunter is in charge of Monster Red. But the team are going to be a long way off their 5,000-oz, $6million goal for the season if they can’t get Rusty Red back online.
Freddy says: “With the new conveyors, all the other new stuff, some new tools, the new screen…I probably spent about $150,000-$175,000 out-of-pocket.
“You know we worked our butts off to get this ready to go, and then to end up not being able to use any of the water, it’s kind of a kick in the a**.”
Freddy has a solution which he says is their only option — but it’s a costly one. He tells Todd that if they line their cut from last year to make it water-tight they could then fill it up and use it for Rusty Red.
Todd asks: “How much do you think it will cost?” His face then turns south when Freddy replies: “$30,000-$50,000.”
However, Freddy thinks they should be able to line it within a week and that would still give them a shot at reaching their 5,000-oz goal.
He says: “If this property’s not running, we’re in deep trouble.”
Gold Rush airs Fridays at 9/8c on Discovery.