Banner Mill Tailings Dam

Banner Mill Tailings Dam is a rockfill dam located in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, built in 2010. It carries a Significant hazard potential classification and has a satisfactory condition assessment.

Hazard potentialSignificantFailure could cause major damage
ConditionSatisfactoryBest of 4 ratings
Emergency action planOn file
Last inspection05/22/2018
Height44 ft
Built201016 years ago

Dam profile

NID height · 44 ft
44 FT TWO-STORY HOUSEMEDIAN U.S. DAM · 24 FT

44 ft tall and 300 ft long, taller than 89% 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 rockfill embankment section and the water level is illustrative.

About Banner Mill Tailings Dam

The primary purpose of Banner Mill 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 Pyramid Peak Mining, LLC (private). It impounds the Banner Canyon near Unincorporated Resident Downstream.

The dam stands 44 feet tall and stretches 300 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 3 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 66 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles. Completed in 2010, 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. Its condition is rated satisfactory, indicating no existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 05/22/2018.

At 44 feet, this dam is taller than 89% of dams nationwide.

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Location

StateNew Mexico
CountyHidalgo
Nearest CityUnincorporated Resident Downstream
River/StreamBanner Canyon
Coordinates32.29990, -108.76600

Physical Characteristics

Dam TypeRockfill
NID Height44 ft
Dam Height38 ft
Dam Length300 ft
Year Completed2010 (16 years old)

Storage & Hydraulics

NID Storage66 acre-ft
Max Storage66 acre-ft
Normal Storage58 acre-ft
Surface Area3 acres
Drainage Area0 sq mi
Max Discharge1,475 cfs
Spillway TypeNone

Ownership & Safety

PurposeTailings
OwnerPyramid Peak Mining, LLC
Owner TypePrivate
Hazard ClassificationSignificant
Condition AssessmentSatisfactory
Last Inspection05/22/2018
Emergency Action PlanYes

Identifiers

NID IDNM00670
Federal IDNM00670
More InfoState Dam Safety Program