Mill 5/6 West Tails Storage Facility

About Mill 5/6 West Tails Storage Facility

The primary purpose of Mill 5/6 West Tails Storage Facility 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 Nevada Gold Mines Llc (private). It impounds the Maggie Creek-os near Carlin.

The dam stands 210 feet tall and stretches 1,435 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 217 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 35,661 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles. Completed in 2011, the structure is relatively new.

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. The most recent inspection on record was 06/06/2018.

At 210 feet, this dam is taller than 99% of all dams in the United States.

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