Hibbing Taconite Tailings Basin is an earth dam located in St. Louis County, Minnesota. It carries a High hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 100 ft100 ft tall and 2,300 ft long, taller than 98% 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 Hibbing Taconite Tailings Basin
The primary purpose of Hibbing Taconite Tailings Basin 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 Hibbing Taconite Company (private). It impounds the Day Brook near Chisholm.
The dam stands 100 feet tall and stretches 2,300 feet across, has a maximum storage capacity of 125,000 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 2 square miles.
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. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 08/15/2024.
At 100 feet, this dam is taller than 98% 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 Minnesota 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 | Minnesota |
| County | St. Louis |
| Nearest City | Chisholm |
| River/Stream | Day Brook |
| Coordinates | 47.51370, -92.99922 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 100 ft |
| Dam Height | 100 ft |
| Dam Length | 2,300 ft |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 125,000 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 125,000 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 10,000 acre-ft |
| Drainage Area | 2 sq mi |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Tailings |
| Owner | Hibbing Taconite Company |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | High |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Last Inspection | 08/15/2024 |
| Emergency Action Plan | Yes |
Identifiers
| NID ID | MN00665 |
| Federal ID | MN00665 |
| More Info | State Dam Safety Program |