Centralia Coal Mine Dam No 5 is an earth dam located in Lewis County, Washington, built in 1971. It carries a Low hazard potential classification.
Dam profile
NID height · 14 ft14 ft tall. 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 Centralia Coal Mine Dam No 5
The primary purpose of Centralia Coal Mine Dam No 5 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 Transalta Centralia Mining LLC (public utility). It impounds the Tr-packwood Creek near Centralia.
The dam stands 14 feet tall, creates a reservoir covering 44 acres, has a maximum storage capacity of 176 acre-feet, and collects water from a drainage area of 0 square miles. Completed in 1971, 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. An emergency action plan is in place for this dam. The most recent inspection on record was 07/03/2001. That was over 25 years ago.
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Location
| State | Washington |
| County | Lewis |
| Nearest City | Centralia |
| River/Stream | Tr-packwood Creek |
| Coordinates | 46.75172, -122.82952 |
Physical Characteristics
| Dam Type | Earth |
| NID Height | 14 ft |
| Year Completed | 1971 (55 years old) |
Storage & Hydraulics
| NID Storage | 176 acre-ft |
| Max Storage | 176 acre-ft |
| Normal Storage | 95 acre-ft |
| Surface Area | 44 acres |
| Drainage Area | 0 sq mi |
| Max Discharge | 356 cfs |
Ownership & Safety
| Purpose | Tailings |
| Owner | Transalta Centralia Mining LLC |
| Owner Type | Public Utility |
| Hazard Classification | Low |
| Condition Assessment | Not assessed |
| Last Inspection | 07/03/2001 |
| Emergency Action Plan | Yes |
Identifiers
| NID ID | WA00292 |
| Federal ID | WA00292 |
| More Info | State Dam Safety Program |