Palmetto Clar. No 3 is an earth dam located in Polk County, Florida, built in 1971. It carries a Low hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 39 ft39 ft tall and 5,300 ft long, taller than 85% of U.S. dams with a recorded height. Height is drawn to scale against a two-story house, about 25 ft; the profile is a generic embankment section and the water level is illustrative.
About Palmetto Clar. No 3
The primary purpose of Palmetto Clar. 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 39 feet tall and stretches 5,300 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 13 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 490 acre-feet. Completed in 1971, 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 39 feet, this dam is taller than 85% 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 | 39 ft |
| Dam Height | 39 ft |
| Dam Length | 5,300 ft |
| Year Completed | 1971 (55 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 490 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 490 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 490 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 13 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 | FL00260 |
| Federal ID | FL00260 |
| More Info | State Dam Safety Program |