Cardinal Plant Ash Pond Dam

About Cardinal Plant Ash Pond Dam

The primary purpose of Cardinal Plant Ash Pond 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 Cardinal Operating Company (public utility). It impounds the Offstream - Ohio River near Rayland.

The dam stands 20 feet tall and stretches 4,700 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 19 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 453 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles. Completed in 1974, the structure is well into its service life at over 50 years old.

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 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 11/29/2017.

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