Silver Basin 1

Silver Basin 1 is an earth dam located in Graham County, Arizona. It carries a Significant hazard potential classification.

About Silver Basin 1

The primary purpose of Silver Basin 1 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 Freeport Mcmoran Morenci Inc. (private).

The dam stands 225 feet tall and stretches 1 feet across, and has a maximum storage capacity of 1,400 acre-feet.

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.

At 225 feet, this dam is taller than 99% of all dams in the United States.

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Significant HazardNot Available ConditionEmergency Action Plan: No

Location

StateArizona
CountyGraham
Nearest CityMorenci
Coordinates33.03306, -109.70000

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeEarth
NID Height225 ft
Dam Height225 ft
Dam Length1 ft

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage1,400 acre-ft
Max Storage1,400 acre-ft

Ownership & Safety

PurposeTailings
OwnerFreeport McMoran Morenci Inc.
Owner TypePrivate
Hazard ClassificationSignificant
Condition AssessmentNot Available
Emergency Action PlanNo

Identifiers

NID IDAZ83455
Federal IDAZ83455
More InfoState Dam Safety Program

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