Crown 3 Mine Fine Refuse Ext 2 Dam

About Crown 3 Mine Fine Refuse Ext 2 Dam

The primary purpose of Crown 3 Mine Fine Refuse Ext 2 Dam 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 J Oros Properties, Llc (private). It impounds the Trib Horse Creek.

The dam stands 27 feet tall and stretches 6,175 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 104 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 2,490 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles.

This dam carries a high hazard potential classification, which means that a failure or uncontrolled release of water would likely cause loss of human life. This classification reflects the consequences of failure, not the likelihood — it indicates that people live or work in the area downstream. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 11/20/2017. That was 8 years ago, which is on the longer end for a high-hazard structure.

Living Downstream

If you live or work downstream of this dam, consider taking these steps: learn your local evacuation routes, check whether your county emergency management office has a dam failure inundation map, and sign up for local emergency alerts. The Illinois dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.

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