Van Stone Tailings Dam

About Van Stone Tailings Dam

The primary purpose of Van Stone Tailings 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 Stevens County (private). It impounds the Offstream.

The dam stands 90 feet tall and stretches 2,000 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 20 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 150 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles. Completed in 1970, 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 poor, meaning the dam has recognized safety deficiencies that require remediation to address risks. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 06/29/2016.

At 90 feet, this dam is taller than 98% of all dams in the United States.

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