Donora Settling is an earth dam located in St. Louis County, Minnesota, built in 1970. It carries a Low hazard potential classification and has a satisfactory condition assessment.
Dam profile
NID height · 32 ft32 ft tall and 7,000 ft long, taller than 74% 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 Donora Settling
The primary purpose of Donora Settling 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 Steel Dynamics Inc. (private). It impounds the Offstream near Local Residents.
The dam stands 32 feet tall and stretches 7,000 feet across, and has a maximum storage capacity of 1,145 acre-feet. Completed in 1970, 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. Its condition is rated satisfactory, indicating no existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. The most recent inspection on record was 09/17/2014. That was over 12 years ago.
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Location
| State | Minnesota |
| County | St. Louis |
| Nearest City | Local Residents |
| River/Stream | Offstream |
| Coordinates | 47.56541, -92.22583 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 32 ft |
| Dam Height | 20 ft |
| Dam Length | 7,000 ft |
| Year Completed | 1970 (56 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 1,145 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 1,145 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 800 acre-ft |
| Max Discharge | 75 cfs |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Tailings |
| Owner | Steel Dynamics Inc. |
| Owner Type | Private |
| Hazard Classification | Low |
| Condition Assessment | Satisfactory |
| Last Inspection | 09/17/2014 |
| Emergency Action Plan | Not Required |
Identifiers
| NID ID | MN00791 |
| Federal ID | MN00791 |
| More Info | State Dam Safety Program |