Fort Meade Sa-1

About Fort Meade Sa-1

The primary purpose of Fort Meade Sa-1 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 52 feet tall and stretches 11,800 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 208 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 10,500 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles. Completed in 1980, the structure is 46 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 52 feet, this dam is taller than 93% of dams nationwide.

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