Fort Meade Pr-4
Fort Meade Pr-4 is an earth dam located in Polk County, Florida, built in 1975. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
About Fort Meade Pr-4
The primary purpose of Fort Meade Pr-4 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 Bimini Cattle Co. (private). It impounds the Peace River near Fort Meade.
The dam stands 54 feet tall and stretches 12,400 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 419 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 22,600 acre-feet. Completed in 1975, the structure is well into its service life at over 50 years old.
This dam carries a high hazard potential classification, which means that a failure or uncontrolled release of water would likely cause loss of human life. This classification reflects the consequences of failure, not the likelihood — it indicates that people live or work in the area downstream. Notably, no emergency action plan is currently on file for this high-hazard dam.
At 54 feet, this dam is taller than 94% of dams nationwide.
Living Downstream
If you live or work downstream of this dam, consider taking these steps: learn your local evacuation routes, check whether your county emergency management office has a dam failure inundation map, and sign up for local emergency alerts. The Florida dam safety program can provide more specific information about emergency planning for this structure.
Search for dams near your address to see all dams in your area with hazard classifications and safety data.
Location
| State | Florida |
| County | Polk |
| Nearest City | Fort Meade |
| River/Stream | Peace River |
| Coordinates | 27.81000, -81.77000 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 54 ft |
| Dam Height | 54 ft |
| Dam Length | 12,400 ft |
| Year Completed | 1975 (51 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 22,600 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 22,600 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 20,000 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 419 acres |
| Max Discharge | 527 cfs |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Tailings |
| Owner | BIMINI CATTLE CO. |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not Rated |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | FL00579 |
| Federal ID | FL00579 |
| More Info | State Dam Safety Program |