River View West Slurry Lake is an earth dam located in Union County, Kentucky. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 146 ft146 ft tall and 6,700 ft long, taller than 99% 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 River View West Slurry Lake
The primary purpose of River View West Slurry Lake 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 River View Coal, LLC (private).
The dam stands 146 feet tall and stretches 6,700 feet across, and has a maximum storage capacity of 10,464 acre-feet.
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 146 feet, this dam is taller than 99% of all dams in the United States.
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 Kentucky 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 | Kentucky |
| County | Union |
| Nearest City | Old Shawneetown, Il |
| Coordinates | 37.75222, -87.95722 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 146 ft |
| Dam Height | 146 ft |
| Dam Length | 6,700 ft |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 10,464 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 10,464 acre-ft |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Tailings |
| Owner | River View Coal, LLC |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Emergency Action Plan | No |
Identifiers
| NID ID | KY83601 |
| Federal ID | KY83601 |
| More Info | State Dam Safety Program |