Foote Mineral Tailings Dam

About Foote Mineral Tailings Dam

The primary purpose of Foote Mineral Tailings Dam 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 Albemarle U.s., Inc. (private). It impounds the Mill Creek near Kings Mountain.

The dam stands 90 feet tall and stretches 4,400 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 12 acres, and has a maximum storage capacity of 384 acre-feet. Completed in 1958, 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 fair — the dam has minor deficiencies that are being addressed or do not pose an immediate safety threat. The most recent inspection on record was 05/15/2025.

At 90 feet, this dam is taller than 98% of all dams in the United States.

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