Cotter Tailings is an earth dam located in Fremont County, Colorado, built in 1980. It carries a Low hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 104 ft104 ft tall and 5,000 ft long, taller than 98% of U.S. dams with a recorded height. Height is drawn to scale against a ten-story building, about 100 ft; the profile is a generic embankment section and the water level is illustrative.
About Cotter Tailings
The primary purpose of Cotter Tailings 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 Ensero Solutions (ary, Joanne) (private). It impounds the Sand Creek-os near Canon City.
The dam stands 104 feet tall and stretches 5,000 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 151 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 5,400 acre-feet. Completed in 1980, the structure is 46 years old.
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. The most recent inspection on record was 09/21/2000. That was over 26 years ago.
At 104 feet, this dam is taller than 98% of all dams in the United States.
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Location
| State | Colorado |
| County | Fremont |
| Nearest City | Canon City |
| River/Stream | Sand Creek-os |
| Coordinates | 38.40000, -105.22558 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 104 ft |
| Dam Height | 93 ft |
| Dam Length | 5,000 ft |
| Year Completed | 1980 (46 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 5,400 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 5,400 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 3,506 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 151 acres |
| Spillway Type | None |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Tailings |
| Owner | Ensero Solutions (ary, Joanne) |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | Low |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Last Inspection | 09/21/2000 |
| Emergency Action Plan | Not Required |
Identifiers
| NID ID | CO02206 |
| Federal ID | CO02206 |
| More Info | State Dam Safety Program |