Jerritt Canyon Tailings Dam

About Jerritt Canyon Tailings Dam

The primary purpose of Jerritt Canyon 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 Jerritt Canyon Gold Llc (private). It impounds the North Fork Humboldt River-os near Ryndon.

The dam stands 162 feet tall and stretches 14,000 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 300 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 24,000 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles. Completed in 1981, the structure is 45 years old.

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. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 08/02/2022.

At 162 feet, this dam is taller than 99% of all dams in the United States.

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