Chronology of Major Tailings Dam Failures

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1/18

9/20/13 Chronology of major tailings dam failures

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HOME WISE Uranium Project > Tailings Dam Safety >

Chronology of major tailings dam failures

(from 1960)

(last updated 18 Dec 2012)

Note: Due to limited availability of data, this compilation is in no way complete

Date LocationParent

companyOre type

Type of

IncidentRelease Impacts

2012,Dec.17

formerGullbridgemine site,Newfoundland,Canada

copperembankmentdam failure,width 50 m

non-consumptionwater advisory

has beenissued for theTown of SouthBrook (viewdetails -Newfoundlandand LabradorDepartment ofEnvironmentand

Conservation)

2012,Nov.

4

Sotkamo,Kainuu

province,Finland

TalvivaaraMining

Company Plc

nickel,(uranium by-

productplanned)

leak fromgypsum pondthrough a

"funnel-shapedhole"

hundreds ofthousands ofcubic metres of

contaminatedwaste water

nickel and zincconcentrationsin nearbySnow Riverexceeded thevalues that areharmful toorganisms

tenfold or evena hundredfold,uraniumconcentrationsmore thantenfold (viewdetails)

tailingsdamaged
http://www.wise-uranium.org/upfi.html#SOTKAMOSPILL12http://www.talvivaara.com/http://www.wise-uranium.org/indexm.htmlhttp://www.wise-uranium.org/upfi.html#SOTKAMOSPILL12http://www.talvivaara.com/http://www.env.gov.nl.ca/env/waterres/southbrook/http://www.wise-uranium.org/indexm.htmlhttp://www.wise-uranium.org/index.html


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www.wise-uranium.org/mdaf.html 2

2011,Jul. 21

Mianyang City,SongpanCounty,SichuanProvince,China

XichuanMinjiangElectrolyticManganesePlant

manganese

tailings damdamaged fromlandslidescaused fromheavy rains

?

residentialroads andhouses, forcing272 people toleave; tailingswere washedinto the Fujiang

River, leaving200,000people withoutdrinking watersupply

2010,Oct. 4

Kolontr,Hungary(Aerial View:

Google Maps)

MAL MagyarAlumnium

bauxitetailings damfailure (view

details)

700,000 cubicmetres of

caustic red mud

several townsflooded, 10people killed,approx. 120people injured8 squarekilometresflooded

2010,Jun.25

Huancavelica,Peru

Unidad MineraCaudalosaChica

?tailings damfailure

21,420 cubicmetres oftailings

contaminationof ro Escaleraand roOpamayo 110kmdownstream

2009,Aug.29

Karamken,Magadanregion, Russia

? gold

tailings damfailure afterheavy rain(seebackground info

- SRIC2004)

?

eleven homeswere carriedaway by themudflow; atleast oneperson waskilled

2009,May14

HuayuanCounty,XiangxiAutonomousPrefecture,HunanProvince,China

? manganese

tailings damfailure (capacity:50,000 cubicmetres)

?

The landslide

set off by thetailings damfailuredestroyed ahome, killingthree andinjuring fourpeople.
http://www.sric.org/voices/2004/v5n3/Karamken.htmlhttp://www.wise-uranium.org/mdafko.htmlhttp://www.mal.hu/http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=42.901912,56.513672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Kolont%C3%A1r,+Hungary&ll=47.089293,17.504096&spn=0.018087,0.027595&t=h&z=15


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2008,Dec.22

Kingston fossilplant,Harriman,Tennessee,USA

TennesseeValley Authority coal ash

retention wallfailure

Release of 5.4million cubicyards [4.1million cubicmetres] of ashyslurry

The ash slidecovered 400acres [1.6squarekilometres] asdeep as 6 feet[1.83 metres].

The wave ofash and mudtoppled powerlines, coveredSwan PondRoad andruptured a gasline. Itdamaged 12homes, and

one personhad to berescued,though no onewas seriouslyhurt.

2008,Sep. 8

Taoshi, LinfenCity, Xiangfencounty, Shanxiprovince,China

Tashan miningcompany

iron

Collapse of awaste-productreservoir at anillegal mineduring rainfall

?

A mudslideseveral metreshigh buried a

market, severahomes and athree-storeybuilding. Atleast 254people aredead and 35injured.

2006,Nov.6

Nchanga,Chingola,Zambia

KonkolaCopper MinesPlc (KCM)(51% VedantaResources plc

)

copper

failure of tailingsslurry pipelinefrom Nchangatailings leachingplant toMuntimpatailings dumps

?

Release of

highly acidictailings intoKafue river;highconcentrationsof copper,manganese,cobalt in riverwater; drinkingwater supply
http://www.vedantaresources.com/http://www.kcm.co.zm/http://www.tva.gov/


4/18



of downstreamcommunitiesshut down

2006,April

30

near Miliang,Zhen'anCounty,Shangluo,

ShaanxiProvince,China

Zhen'an CountyGold Mining Co.

Ltd.

gold

tailings damfailure duringsixth upraising

of dam

?

The landslideburied about40 rooms of

ninehouseholds,leaving 17residentsmissing. Fiveinjured peoplewere taken tohospital. Morethan 130 localresidents have

beenevacuated.Toxicpotassiumcyanide wasreleased intothe Huashuiriver,contaminatingit approx. 5

kmdownstream.

2005,April14

Bangs Lake,JacksonCounty,Mississippi,USA

MississippiPhosphatesCorp.

phosphate

phosphogypsumstack failure,because thecompany wastrying toincrease thecapacity of the

pond at a fasterrate thannormal,according toOfficials withthe MississippiDepartment ofEnvironmentalQuality (thecompany has

approx. 17million gallonsof acidic liquid(64,350 m3)

liquid pouredinto adjacentmarsh lands,causingvegetation todie
http://www.missphosphates.com/


5/18



blamed the spillon unusuallyheavy rainfall,though)

2004,Nov.30

Pinchi Lake,BritishColumbia,Canada

Teck ComincoLtd.

mercury

tailings dam(100-metreslong and 12-metres high)collapses duringreclamationwork

6,000 to 8,000m3 of rock, dirtand wastewater

tailings spilledinto 5,500 haPinchi Lake

2004,Sep. 5

Riverview,Florida, USA

Cargill CropNutrition

phosphate

a dike at the topof a 100-foot-high gypsumstack holding

150-milliongallons ofpolluted waterbroke afterwaves driven byHurricaneFrances bashedthe dike'ssouthwestcorner

60 milliongallons(227,000 m3)of acidic liquid

liquid spilledinto ArchieCreek thatleads toHillsboroughBay

2004,May22

Partizansk,Primorski Krai,Russia

Dalenergo coal ash

A ring dike,enclosing anarea of roughly

1 km2 andholding roughly

20 million cubicmeters of coalash, broke. Thebreak left a holeroughly 50meter wide inthe dam.

approximately160,000 cubicmeters of ash

The ash flowedthrough adrainage canalinto a tributaryto thePartizanskayaRiver whichempties in toNahodka Bayin PrimorskiKrai (east ofVladivostok).For detailsdownloadSept. 2004report(PDF) by PaulRobinson,
http://www.sric.org/mining/docs/Partizansk%20Coal%20Ash%20Dam%20Break%20and%20Spill.pdfhttp://www.cargillcropnutrition.com/http://www.teckcominco.com/


6/18



SRIC

2004,March20

Malvsi, Aude,France

Comurhex(Cogma/Areva)

decantationandevaporationpond ofuranium

conversionplant

dam failure afterheavy rain inpreceding year(view details)

30,000 cubicmetres of liquidand slurries

release led toelevated nitrateconcentrationsof up to 170mg/L in thecanal of

Tauran forseveral weeks

2003,Oct. 3

Cerro Negro,Petorca prov.,Quinta region,Chile

Cia MineraCerro Negro

coppertailings damfailure

50,000 tonnesof tailings

tailings flowed20 kilometersdownstreamthe ro LaLigua

2002,Aug.27 /Sep.11

San Marcelino,Zambales,Philippines

Dizon CopperSilver Mines,Inc.

overflow andspillway failureof twoabandonedtailings damsafter heavy rain

(view details)

?

Aug. 27: some

tailings spilledintoMapanuepeLake andeventually intothe Sto. TomaRiverSep. 11: lowlying villagesflooded with

mine waste;250 familiesevacuated;nobodyreported hurtso far

2001,Jun.22

Sebastio das

guas Claras,Nova Limadistrict, MinasGerais, Brazil

Minerao RioVerde Ltda

iron mine waste damfailure (viewdetails)

?

tailings wavetraveled atleast 6 km,

killing at leasttwo mineworkers, threemore workersare missing

2000,Oct.

Nandancounty,Guangxi ? ?

tailings dam?

at least 15people killed,100 missing;
http://www.wise-uranium.org/mdafsa.htmlhttp://www.wise-uranium.org/mdafsm.htmlhttp://www.wise-uranium.org/mdafma.html


7/18



18 province,China

failure more than 100housesdestroyed

2000,Oct.11

Inez, MartinCounty,Kentucky,USA

Martin CountyCoalCorporation(100% A.T.Massey CoalCompany, Inc.

, Richmond,VA (100%Fluor Corp. ))

coal

tailings damfailure fromcollapse of anundergroundmine beneaththe slurryimpoundment(view details)

250 milliongallons(950,000 m3)of coal wasteslurry releasedinto localstreams

About 75 miles(120 km) ofrivers and

streams turnedan irridescentblack, causinga fish kill alongthe Tug Forkof the BigSandy Riverand some of itstributaries.Towns along

the Tug wereforced to turnoff theirdrinking waterintakes.

2000,Sep. 8

Aitik mine,Gllivare,Sweden

Boliden Ltd. copper

tailings damfailure frominsufficientperviousness offilter drain(view details)

release of 2.5million m3 ofliquid into anadjacent settling

pond,subsequentrelease of 1.5million m3 ofwater (carryingsome residualslurry) from thesettling pondinto theenvironment

2000,Mar.10

Borsa,Romania

Remin S.A.tailings damfailure afterheavy rain

22,000 t ofheavy-metalcontaminatedtailings

contaminationof the Vaserstream,tributary of theTisza River.ViewRomanianGovt. report UNEP repor
http://www.natural-resources.org/environment/baiamare/docs/BaiaBorsa/baiabrosa-final.pdfhttp://www.mappm.ro/infpresa/noutati/engleza/Borsa16032000.htmhttp://www.wise-uranium.org/mdafai.htmlhttp://www.bolidenltd.com/http://www.wise-uranium.org/mdafin.htmlhttp://www.fluor.com/http://www.fluor.com/investor/atmassey_main.asp


8/18



(527k PDF)

2000,Jan.30

Baia Mare,Romania

Aurul S.A.(Esmeralda

Exploration ,Australia (50%),Remin S.A.(44.8%))

gold

recoveryfrom oldtailings

tailings damcrest failureafter overflowcaused fromheavy rain andmelting snow(view details)

100,000 m3 of

cyanide-contaminatedliquid

contaminationof theSomes/Szamostream,tributary of theTisza River,killing tonnesof fish andpoisoning thedrinking waterof more than 2million peoplein Hungary

1999,Apr.26

Placer, Surigaodel Norte,Philippines

Manila MiningCorp. (MMC)

goldtailings spillfrom damagedconcrete pipe

700,000 tonnesof cyanidetailings

17 homesburied, 51hectares ofricelandswamped

1998,Dec.31

Huelva, SpainFertiberia ,Foret

phosphatedam failureduring storm(view details)

50,000 m3 ofacidic and toxicwater

1998,

Apr.25

Los Frailes,

Aznalcllar,Spain

Boliden Ltd. ,Canada

zinc, lead,

copper,silver

dam failure from

foundationfailure (viewdetails)

4-5 million m3

of toxic waterand slurry

thousands ofhectares of

farmlandcovered withslurry

1997,Dec.7

MulberryPhosphate,Polk County,Florida, USA

MulberryPhosphates, Inc. phosphate

phosphogypsumstack failure

200,000 m3 ofphosphogypsumprocess water

biota in theAlafia Rivereliminated

1997,

Oct.22

Pinto Valley,

Arizona, USA BHP Copper copper

tailings dam

slope failure

230,000 m3 of

tailings and minerock

tailings flow

covers 16hectares

1996,Nov.12

Amatista,Nazca, Peru

? ?

liquefactionfailure ofupstream-typetailings damduringearthquake

more than300,000 m3 oftailings

flow runout ofabout 600meters, spillinto river,croplandscontaminated
http://www.natural-resources.org/environment/baiamare/docs/BaiaBorsa/baiabrosa-final.pdfhttp://www.bhp.com.au/environment/env98/case/pinto.htmhttp://www.bhp.com.au/http://www.mulberrycorp.com/http://www.wise-uranium.org/mdaflf.htmlhttp://www.bolidenltd.com/http://www.wise-uranium.org/ptail.html#HUELVAhttp://www.fertiberia.com/http://www.wise-uranium.org/mdafbm.htmlhttp://www.esmeralda.com.au/http://www.natural-resources.org/environment/baiamare/docs/BaiaBorsa/baiabrosa-final.pdf


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1996,Aug.29

El Porco,Bolivia

Comsur (62%),Rio Tinto(33%)

zinc, lead,silver

dam failure 400,000 tonnes

300 km ofPilcomayorivercontaminated

1996,Mar.24

Marcopper,

MarinduqueIsland,Philippines

Placer DomeInc. , Canada(40%)

copper

Loss of tailings

from storage pitthrough olddrainage tunnel

1.6 million m3

Evacuation of1200residents, 18

km of riverchannel filledwith tailings,US$ 80 milliondamage

1995,

Dec.

Golden Cross,

New Zealand

Coeur d'Alne

, Idaho, USA

gold

Dam movementof damcontaining 3million tonnes of

tailings(continuing)(view details )

Nil (so far) Nil (so far)

1995,Sep. 2

Placer, Surigaodel Norte,Philippines

Manila MiningCorp.

goldDam foundationfailure

50,000 m312 peoplekilled, coastalpollution

1995,Aug.19

Omai, Guyana

Cambior Inc. ,

Canada (65%),Golden StarResources Inc.,Colorado, USA(30%)

gold

tailings damfailure from

internal damerosion(preliminaryreport ontechnicalcausation)

4.2 million m3of cyanideslurry

80 km ofEssequiboRiver declaredenvironmentaldisaster zone(view details

)

1994,

Nov.19

HopewellMine,

HillsboroughCounty,Florida, USA

IMC-Agrico phosphate dam failure

Nearly 1.9million m3 of

water from aclay settlingpond

spill intonearbywetlands and

the AlafiaRiver,Keysvilleflooded

1994,

Payne CreekMine, Polk

6.8 million m3of water from a

majority of spilcontained onadjacentmining area;500,000 m3
http://www.imc-agrico.com/http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/2651/http://www.wise-uranium.org/mdgr.htmlhttp://www.cambior.com/http://bitz.co.nz/watchdog/http://www.coeur.com/http://www.placerdome.com/http://www.riotinto.com/


10/18



Oct. 2 County,Florida, USA

IMC-Agrico phosphate dam failure clay settlingpond

released intoHickeyBranch, atributary ofPayne Creek

1994,Oct.

Fort Meade,Florida, USA Cargill phosphate ?

76,000 m3 ofwater

spill into Peace

River near ForMeade

1994,June

IMC-Agrico,Florida, USA

IMC-Agrico phosphate

Sinkhole opensinphosphogypsumstake

?

Release ofgympsum andwater intogroundwater

1994,Feb.22

Harmony,Merriespruit,South Africa

Harmony GoldMines

gold

Dam wallbreachfollowing heavyrain

600,000 m3

tailings traveled4 km

downstream,17 peoplekilled,extensivedamage toresidentialtownship

1994,

Feb.14

Olympic Dam,

Roxby Downs,South Australia WMC Ltd.

copper,

uranium

leakage oftailings dam

during 2 yearsor more

release of up to5 million m3 of

contaminatedwater intosubsoil

?

1993,Oct.

Gibsonton,Florida, USA

Cargill phosphate ? ?

Fish killedwhen acidicwater spilledinto ArchieCreek

1993 Marsa, Peru

Marsa Mining

Corp. gold

dam failure from

overtopping ? 6 people killed

1992,Mar.1

Maritsa Istok1, near StaraZagora,Bulgaria

? ash/cinder dam failure frominundation ofthe beach

500,000 m3 ?

1992,Jan.

No.2 tailingspond, Padcal,Luzon,

Philex MiningCorp. copper

Collapse ofdam wall(foundation

80 milliontonnes ?
http://www.cargill.com/http://www.wise-uranium.org/ucwmc.htmlhttp://www.wise-uranium.org/uoaus.html#OLYMPICDhttp://www.imc-agrico.com/http://www.cargill.com/http://www.imc-agrico.com/


11/18



Philippines failure)

1991,Aug.23

Sullivan mine,Kimberley,BritishColumbia,

Canada

Cominco Ltd lead/zinc

dam failure(liquefaction inold tailingsfoundationduring

construction ofincrementalraise)

75,000 m3

the slidedmaterial wascontained in an

adjacent pond

1989,Aug.25

Stancil,Perryville,Maryland,USA

?sand andgravel

dam failureduring cappingof the tailingsafter heavy rain

38,000 m3

tailingsflowsidecovered 5000m2

1988,Apr.30

Jinduicheng,Shaanxiprovince,China

? molybdenum

breach of damwall (spillwayblockagecaused pondlevel to rise toohigh)

700,000 m3approx. 20people killed

1988,Jan.19

TennesseeConsolidatedNo.1, GraysCreek, TN,

USA

TennesseeConsolidatedCoal Co.

coal

dam wall failurefrom internalerosion, causedfrom failure ofan abandonedoutlet pipe

250,000 m3 ?

1988Riverview,Florida, USA

Gardinier (nowCargill )

phosphate ? acidic spill

Thousands offish killed atmouth of AlafiaRiver

1987,April8

MontcoalNo.7, RaleighCounty, West

Virginia, USA

Peabody CoalCo. (nowPeabody

Energy )

coaldam failure afterspillway pipebreach

87,000 cubicmeters of waterand slurry

tailings flow 80kmdownstream

1986,May

Itabirito, MinasGerais, Brazil

ItaminosComercio deMinerios

? dam wall burst 100,000 tonnestailings flow 12kmdownstream

1986Huangmeishan,China

? irondam failure fromseepage/slopeinstability

?19 peoplekilled
http://www.peabodyenergy.com/http://www.cargill.com/http://www.cominco.com/


12/18



1985,July19

Stava, Trento,Italy

Prealpi Mineraia fluorite

dam failure,caused frominsufficientsafety marginsand inadequatedecant pipeconstruction(view details

)

200,000 m3

tailings flow4.2 kmdownstream at90 km/h; 268people killed,62 buildingsdestroyed(view details

)

1985,Mar.3

Veta de AguaNo.1, Chile

? copper

dam wall failure,due toliquefactionduringearthquake

280,000 m3tailings flow 5kmdownstream

1985,Mar.

3

Cerro Negro

No.4, Chile

Cia Minera

Cerro Negro

copper

dam wall failure,due toliquefaction

duringearthquake

500,000 m3tailings flow 8km

downstream

1985Olinghouse,Wadsworth,Nevada, USA

OlinghouseMining Co.

goldembankmentcollapse fromsaturation

25,000 m3tailings flow1.5 kmdownstream

1982,Nov.

8

Sipalay,NegrosOccidental,

Philippines

MarinduqueMining and

Industrial Corp.

copper

dam failure, dueto slippage offoundations on

clayey soils

28 milliontonnes

widespreadinundation ofagricultural

land up to 1.5m high

1981,

Dec.18

Ages, HarlanCounty,

Kentucky,USA

Eastover Mining

Co. coal

dam failure after

heavy rain

96,000 m3 coal

refuse slurry

the slurry wavetraveled theLeft Fork ofAges Creek1.3 kmdownstream, 1person was

killed, 3 homesdestroyed, 30homesdamaged, fishkill in CloverFork of theCumberlandRiver

1981,Balka

tailings travel
http://www.wise-uranium.org/mdafst.htmlhttp://www.wise-uranium.org/mdafst.html


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Jan.20

Chuficheva,Lebedinsky,Russia

? iron dam failure 3.5 million m3 distance 1.3km

1980,Oct.

13

Tyrone, New

Mexico, USA

Phelps Dodge copper

dam wallbreach, due torapid increase indam wall height,

causing highinternal porepressure

2 million m3

tailings flow 8kmdownstream

and inundatefarmland

1979,July16

Church Rock,New Mexico,USA

United Nuclear uranium

dam wallbreach, due todifferentialfoundationsettlement

370,000 m3 ofradioactivewater, 1,000tonnes ofcontaminatedsediment

Contaminationof Rio Puercosediments upto 110 kmdownstream

1979orearlier

(unidentified),BritishColumbia,Canada

? ?piping in thesand beach ofthe tailings dam

40,000 m3 ofponded water

considerablepropertydamage

1978,Jan.

31

Arcturus,Zimbabwe

CorsynConsolidated

Mines

gold

slurry overflowafter continuousrain over

several days

30,000 tonnes

1 personkilled,extensivesiltation to

waterway andadjoining roughpasture

1978,Jan.14

MochikoshiNo.1, Japan

MochikoshiGold MiningCompany

gold

dam failure, dueto liquefactionduringearthquake

80,000 m3

1 personkilled, tailingsflow 7-8 kmdownstream

1977,Feb. 1

Homestake,Milan, NewMexico, USA

HomestakeMiningCompany

uranium

dam failure, due

to rupture ofplugged slurrypipeline

30,000 m3 no impactsoutside themine site

1976,Mar.1

Zlevoto,Yugoslavia

? lead, zinc

dam failure, dueto high phreaticsurface andseepagebreakout on theembankment

300,000 m3

tailings flowreached andpollutednearby river
http://www.homestake.com/http://www.fcx.com/


14/18



face

1975,

June

Silverton,

Colorado,USA ? (metal) dam failure 116,000 tonnes

tailings flowslide pollutednearly 100miles (160 km)of the Animas

river and itstributaries;severepropertydamage; noinjuries

1975,

Apr.

Madjarevo,

Bulgaria ?

lead, zinc,

gold

rising of tailingsabove designlevel caused

overloading ofthe decanttower andcollectors

250,000 m3 ?

1975Mike Horse,Montana, USA

? lead, zincdam failure afterheavy rain

150,000 m3 ?

1974,

Nov.11

Bafokeng,South Africa ? platinum

embankmentfailure by

concentratedseepage andpiping throughcracks

3 million m3

12 peoplekilled in a mineshaft inundated

by the tailings;tailings flow 45kmdownstream

1974,Jun. 1

Deneen Mica,NorthCarolina, USA

? micadam failure afterheavy rain

38,000 m3tailingsreleased to anadjacent river

1973(unidentified),SouthwesternUSA

? copper

dam failure fromincreased porepressure duringconstruction ofincrementalraise

170,000 m3tailings traveled25 kmdownstream

the tailingstraveled 27 kmdownstream,125 people


15/18



1972,Feb.26

Buffalo Creek,West Virginia,USA

Pittston Coal coal

collapse oftailings damafter heavy rain(view Citizens'Commissionreport )

500,000 m3

lost their lives,500 homesweredestroyed.Property andhighwaydamage

exceeded$65 million.(see details )

1971,Dec.3

Fort Meade,Florida, USA

Cities ServiceCo.

phosphateClay pond damfailure, causeunknown

9 million m3 ofclay water

tailings traveled120 kmdownstreamwith PeaceRiver, largefish kill

1970Mufulira,Zambia

? copper

liquefaction oftailings, flowingintoundergroundworkings

some 1 milliontons

89 minerskilled

1970Maggie Pie,United

Kingdom

? china clay

dam failure afterraising theembankment

and after heavyrain

15,000 m3tailings spilled35 meters

downstream

1969orearlier

Bilbao, Spain ? ?dam failure(liquefaction)after heavy rain

115,000 m3

majordownstreamdamage andloss of life

1968

Hokkaido,

Japan ? ?

dam failure(liquefaction)

duringearthquake

90,000 m3

tailings traveled

150 metersdownstream

1967,Mar.

Fort Meade,Florida, USA

Mobil Chemical phosphatedam failure, nodetails available

250,000 m3 ofphosphatic clayslimes, 1.8million m3 ofwater

spill reachesPeace River,fish killreported

tailings flow
http://wvgazette.com/static/series/buffalocreek/index.htmlhttp://wvgazette.com/static/series/buffalocreek/commission.htmlhttp://www.pittston.com/


16/18



1967 (unidentified),UnitedKingdom

? coal dam failureduring regradingoperations

? covered anarea of 4hectares

1966(unidentified),East Texas,USA

? gypsum dam failure76,000 -130,000 m3 ofgypsum

flow slidetraveled 300meters; no

fatalities

1966Derbyshire,UnitedKingdom

? coaldam failure fromfoundationfailure

30,000 m3tailings traveled100 metersdownstream

1966,Oct.

21

Aberfan,Wales, United

Kingdom

Merthyr ValeColliery

coaldam failure(liquefaction)

from heavy rain

162,000 m3

the tailingstraveled 600meters, 144people were

killed (viewdetails ,watch video

1966,May 1

Mir mine,Sgorigrad,Bulgaria

?

lead, zinc,

copper,silver,(uranium?)

dam failure fromrising pond level

after heavy rainsand/or failure ofdiversionchannel

450,000 m3

the tailingswave traveled8 km to thecity of Vratzaand destroyedhalf of

Sgorigradvillage 1 kmdownstream,killing 488people. (Viewdetails historicphotographs

)

1965,Mar.28

Bellavista,Chile

? copper dam failureduringearthquake

70,000 m3tailings traveled800 metersdownstream

1965,Mar.28

Cerro NegroNo.3, Chile

? copper dam failureduringearthquake


1965, El Cobre Newdam failure(liquefaction)

tailings traveled12 km
http://www.sgorigrad.com/index.php?r=tragedy/navodnenie&title=The+1966+tragedy&base=tragedy&lang=enhttp://www.stava1985.it/http://www.worldwidewales.tv/html/movie-167.phphttp://www.nuff.ox.ac.uk/politics/aberfan/home.htmhttp://www.welshcoalmines.co.uk/GlamEast/MerthyrVale.htm


17/18



Mar.28

Dam, Chile ? copper duringearthquake

350,000 m3 downstream,destroyed thetown of ElCobre andkilled morethan 200people

1965,Mar.28

El Cobre OldDam, Chile

? copper

dam failure(liquefaction)duringearthquake

1.9 million m3

1965,Mar.28

La PataguaNew Dam,Chile

? copper



1965,Mar.28

Los Maquis,Chile

? copper



1965Tymawr,UnitedKingdom

? coaldam failure fromovertopping

?

tailings traveled700 metersdownstream,causingconsiderabledamage

1962 (unidentified),Peru ? ?

dam failure(liquefaction)

duringearthquake andafter heavyrainfall

? ?

1961Tymawr,UnitedKingdom

? coaldam failure, nodetails available

?tailings traveled800 metersdownstream

tonnes = metric tonnes

Sources:Tailings Dam Incidents, U.S. Committee on Large Dams - USCOLD, Denver, Colorado, ISBN 1-884575-03-X, 1994, 82 pages [compilation and analysis of 185 tailings dam incidents]

Environmental and Safety Incidents concerning Tailings Dams at Mines : Results of a Survey for theyears 1980-1996 by Mining Journal Research Services; a report prepared forUnited Nations EnvironmentProgramme, Industry and Environment . Paris, 1996, 129 pages [compilation of 37 tailings damincidents]

Tailings Dams - Risk of Dangerous Occurrences, Lessons learnt from practical experiences ,
http://www.unep.org/dtie/http://www.wise-uranium.org/mdap.html#USCOLD


18/18


Bulletin 121, Published by United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Division of Technology,Industry and Economics (DTIE) and International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD), Paris 2001, 144p. [compilation of 221 tailings dam incidents mainly from the above two publications, and examplesof effective remedial measures]

and many others.

> See also: Chronology of uranium tailings dam failures

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Documents

Chronology of Major Tailings Dam Failures