General Motors Secondary Lagoon

About General Motors Secondary Lagoon

The primary purpose of General Motors Secondary Lagoon 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 Gm Defiance Casting Operations. It impounds the Maumee River - Offstream near Independence.

The dam stands 29 feet tall and stretches 3,300 feet across, creates a reservoir covering 19 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 368 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 1 square miles.

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 poor, meaning the dam has recognized safety deficiencies that require remediation to address risks. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 04/26/2022.

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