S9 Fort Meade

About S9 Fort Meade

The primary purpose of S9 Fort Meade 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 Little Payne Creek near Fort Meade.

The dam stands 42 feet tall and stretches 14,000 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 300 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 12,000 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles. Completed in 1985, the structure is 41 years old.

This dam has a significant hazard potential classification, meaning that a failure could cause significant economic damage — flooding roads, bridges, or property downstream — but is not expected to result in loss of life. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 01/23/2006. That was over 20 years ago.

At 42 feet, this dam is taller than 89% of dams nationwide.

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