Biggest gold rush in years could unfold in California due to winter storms’ runoff, miners say: “Unprecedented”

Placerville, Calif. — There's a new nugget to this winter's historic storms in California: All the runoff is exposing more gold, CBS Sacramento's Steve Large reports.

Albert Fausel is a third-generation owner of the Placerville Hardware store, which opened in 1852.

"We do a lot of different gold supplies in here," Fausel said. 

The store is in the heart of gold country.

"So now, instead of selling dynamite, I'm selling metal detectors," Fausel said. 

Fausel says he's is getting ready for a new gold rush. 

"I haven't seen this in my life," Fausel said. 

Mark Dayton is a metal detector expert.

"[There's] $750 worth of gold right here," Dayton said, speaking about a bowl with gold nuggets on it.

He showed off an ounce of gold nuggets he recently found in a few hours' time.

"It's going to get crazy," Dayton said. 

Dayton believes more gold will be more easily available this year in this historic Gold Country, where James Marshall's 1848 find changed California forever.

"It's the biggest event of my life," Dayton said.

The predicted gold rush follows the series of intense winter storms eroding rock from waterways. 

"As the water comes down really quickly, especially in steep canyons," Dayton EXPLAINED, "it hits the banks and washes fresh dirt right off the banks and liberates new fresh deposits of gold right into the water."

Is there a new golden opportunity in Gold Country? It's starting to feel like '49er fever.

"This year's going to be unprecedented," Dayton said.

"Time to go get some gold," Fausel said. 

Dayton predicts the best time to begin seeking gold deposits will be June and July, when the river levels begin to lower.