Palmetto Settling Area No 3 is an earth dam located in Polk County, Florida, built in 1966. It carries a Low hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 47 ft47 ft tall and 14,500 ft long, taller than 91% 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 Palmetto Settling Area No 3
The primary purpose of Palmetto Settling Area No 3 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 The Mosaic Company (private). It impounds the Little Payne Creek near Fort Meade.
The dam stands 47 feet tall and stretches 14,500 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 51 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 2,400 acre-feet. Completed in 1966, the structure is well into its service life at over 50 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.
At 47 feet, this dam is taller than 91% of dams nationwide.
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Location
| State | Florida |
| County | Polk |
| Nearest City | Fort Meade |
| River/Stream | Little Payne Creek |
| Coordinates | 27.67000, -81.93000 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 47 ft |
| Dam Height | 47 ft |
| Dam Length | 14,500 ft |
| Year Completed | 1966 (60 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 2,400 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 2,400 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 2,000 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 51 acres |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Tailings |
| Owner | The Mosaic Company |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | Low |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | FL00254 |
| Federal ID | FL00254 |
| More Info | State Dam Safety Program |