The San Juan Mining Corporation, with headquarters in Nevada City, has submitted an application for a use permit to reopen the idle San Juan Ridge Gold Mine located on 1,440 acres of private property on the San Juan Ridge, north of Nevada City. Siskon Corp. operated the mine from 1993 to 1997 when falling gold prices, coupled with higher than expected operating costs, closed the operation. The proposal has stirred up considerable controversy with residents near the project with a particular concern about water issues. The prior mining operation in 1995 hit a fault in bedrock that contained high-pressure water. …