W1mix Area South Pasture

About W1mix Area South Pasture

The primary purpose of W1mix Area South Pasture 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 Peace River near Ona.

The dam stands 38 feet tall and stretches 18,250 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 435 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 15,000 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles. Completed in 2001, the structure is relatively new.

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. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 01/23/2006. That was over 20 years ago.

At 38 feet, this dam is taller than 85% of dams nationwide.

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