Smoky Canyon No 1

About Smoky Canyon No 1

The primary purpose of Smoky Canyon No 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 private-owned. It impounds the Roberts Creek Tygee Creek near Remote.

The dam stands 80 feet tall and stretches 3,650 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 83 acres, has a storage capacity of 2,500 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 1 square miles. Completed in 1983, the structure is 43 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. Its condition is rated fair — the dam has minor deficiencies that are being addressed or do not pose an immediate safety threat. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 11/10/2017.

At 80 feet, this dam is taller than 97% of all dams in the United States.

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