Mill 5/6 East Tailings Storage Facility

About Mill 5/6 East Tailings Storage Facility

The primary purpose of Mill 5/6 East Tailings 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 Ck-os near Carlin.

The dam stands 220 feet tall and stretches 20,022 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 410 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 67,500 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles. Completed in 2019, the structure is relatively new.

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. Its condition is rated satisfactory, indicating no existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 10/06/2022.

At 220 feet, this dam is taller than 99% of all dams in the United States.

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