North Carolina has 25 tailings dams, of which 12 carry a high hazard classification. Tailings dams contain waste material from mining operations — typically a slurry of finely ground rock left over after valuable minerals have been extracted.
| # | Dam | County | Height (ft) | Hazard | Condition | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belews Creek Active Ash Basin Dam | Stokes | 135 | High | Fair | 1971 |
| 2 | Cliffside Active Ash Basin Downstream Dam | Cleveland | 120 | High | Satisfactory | 1972 |
| 3 | Foote Mineral Tailings Dam | Cleveland | 90 | Low | Fair | 1958 |
| 4 | Buck Ash Basin #1 Dam | Rowan | 72 | High | Satisfactory | 1982 |
| 5 | Buck Main Ash Basin Dam | Rowan | 70 | High | Satisfactory | 1957 |
| 6 | Bonsal Tailings Dam | Anson | 63 | High | Fair | 1976 |
| 7 | Cliffside Active Ash Basin Upstream Dam | Cleveland | 60 | High | Satisfactory | 1972 |
| 8 | Piedmont Minerals Lake Dam | Orange | 50 | Low | Not assessed | |
| 9 | Lithium Lagoon D Dam | Gaston | 40 | Significant | Fair | |
| 10 | Hedrick Tailings Dike #2 Dam | Anson | 38 | Significant | Fair | 1983 |
| 11 | Bv Hedrick Tailings Dike #3 Dam | Anson | 35 | High | Fair | 1989 |
| 12 | Pcs Phosphate Clay Pond Dam #5b | Beaufort | 35 | Low | Fair | 1986 |
| 13 | Pcs Phosphate R-7 Blend Dike | Beaufort | 35 | High | Poor | 2007 |
| 14 | Martin-marietta Lake Dam | Catawba | 35 | Low | Fair | 1969 |
| 15 | Unimin Woodward Tract Dam | Richmond | 32 | Low | Fair | 1990 |
| 16 | Unimin Dam #5 | Richmond | 30 | Low | Fair | 1990 |
| 17 | #3 Slurry Pond | Stanly | 30 | High | Not assessed | |
| 18 | Tungston Mine Tailings Dam | Vance | 27 | Significant | Fair | |
| 19 | Martin-marietta Quarry Dam | Gaston | 26 | Significant | Fair | 1974 |
| 20 | Hedrick Tailings Dike #1 (lower #8 Pond Dam) | Anson | 25 | Low | Fair | 1982 |
| 21 | Buck Basin #1 to Basin #2 Dam | Rowan | 25 | High | Satisfactory | 1982 |
| 22 | W.r. Bonsal MUD Pond Dike | Anson | 21 | Significant | Not assessed | 1986 |
| 23 | Buck Basin #2 to Basin #3 Dam | Rowan | 20 | High | Satisfactory | 1979 |
| 24 | Buck Ash Basin Divider Dam | Rowan | 10 | High | Satisfactory | 1977 |
| 25 | Hedrick Tailings Dike #1 Dam | Anson | 0 | Significant | Not assessed |