Payne Creek Settling Area No 3
Payne Creek Settling Area No 3 is an earth dam located in Polk County, Florida, built in 1968. It carries a Low hazard potential classification.
About Payne Creek Settling Area No 3
The primary purpose of Payne Creek Settling Area No 3 is tailings. Tailings dams contain waste material from mining operations — typically a slurry of finely ground rock left over after valuable minerals have been extracted. These structures require ongoing monitoring because tailings can contain heavy metals and other contaminants. The dam is owned by The Mosaic Company (private). It impounds the Payne Creek near Fort Meade.
The dam stands 56 feet tall and stretches 10,000 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 344 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 5,600 acre-feet. Completed in 1968, the structure is well into its service life at over 50 years old.
This dam has a low hazard potential classification, meaning that failure would cause minimal damage, limited primarily to the dam owner's property, with no expected loss of life.
At 56 feet, this dam is taller than 94% of dams nationwide.
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Location
| State | Florida |
| County | Polk |
| Nearest City | Fort Meade |
| River/Stream | Payne Creek |
| Coordinates | 27.71000, -81.93000 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 56 ft |
| Dam Height | 56 ft |
| Dam Length | 10,000 ft |
| Year Completed | 1968 (58 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 5,600 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 5,600 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 5,200 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 344 acres |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Tailings |
| Owner | THE MOSAIC COMPANY |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | Low |
| Condition Assessment | Not Rated |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | FL00239 |
| Federal ID | FL00239 |
| More Info | State Dam Safety Program |