West Stephens Settling
West Stephens Settling is an earth dam located in St. Louis County, Minnesota, built in 1964. It carries a Low hazard potential classification and has a satisfactory condition assessment.
About West Stephens Settling
The primary purpose of West Stephens Settling 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 Mesabi Nugget (private). It impounds the Second Creek near Local Residents.
The dam stands 10 feet tall and stretches 3,000 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 13 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 344 acre-feet. Completed in 1964, 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. Its condition is rated satisfactory, indicating no existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. The most recent inspection on record was 09/17/2014. That was over 11 years ago.
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Location
| State | Minnesota |
| County | St. Louis |
| Nearest City | Local Residents |
| River/Stream | Second Creek |
| Coordinates | 47.56910, -92.21625 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 10 ft |
| Dam Height | 10 ft |
| Dam Length | 3,000 ft |
| Year Completed | 1964 (62 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 344 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 344 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 86 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 13 acres |
| Max Discharge | 75 cfs |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Tailings |
| Owner | Mesabi Nugget |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | Low |
| Condition Assessment | Satisfactory |
| Last Inspection | 09/17/2014 |
| Emergency Action Plan | Not Required |
Identifiers
| NID ID | MN00790 |
| Federal ID | MN00790 |
| More Info | State Dam Safety Program |