Glossary
Anomaly: Any deficiency, irregularity, abnormality, or deformation that may affect the safety of the dam.
Affected area: The downstream or upstream area potentially compromised in the event of a dam failure.
Dam: Any structure built across a permanent or temporary watercourse to contain or accumulate liquid substances or mixtures of liquids and solids, including the dam body and associated structures. Dams may serve different purposes such as power generation, irrigation, aquaculture, recreation, flood control, navigation, urban and industrial water supply, sediment retention, and/or tailings storage.
Tailings dam: Dams, embankments, dikes, or pits with constructed barriers associated with mining activities. These are built above the original topography to temporarily or permanently contain, accumulate, decant, or discharge mining tailings or sediments, with or without associated water intake. This definition excludes dams used for industrial waste containment.
Downstream dam: A dam built with compacted soil regardless of the type of tailings. The dam raises are constructed in the same direction as water flow (downstream).
Upstream dam: A dam structure built using tailings through successive raisings over the deposited material itself. The raises are constructed opposite to the direction of water flow (upstream). Coarser tailings are required to build this type of dam.
Active tailings dam: A dam currently in operation, receiving tailings and/or sediments from mining activity.
Barragem de mineração em construção: estruturas que estejam em processo de construção de acordo com o projeto técnico.
Tailings dam under construction: A structure currently being built in accordance with the approved engineering design.
Tailings dam undergoing closure: A structure no longer used for containing tailings or sediments but still retaining the characteristics of a tailings dam. (Revoked by ANM Resolution No. 13/2019)
Decharacterized tailings dam: A structure that no longer receives tailings or sediments and no longer functions as a dam, in accordance with a technical decharacterization plan.
Risk Category: Classification of a dam based on factors that may influence the likelihood of an accident, considering technical characteristics, conservation status, and the Dam Safety Plan.
Entrepreneur (Operator): A private or government agent with legal rights over the land where the dam and reservoir are located, or one who operates the dam for individual or public benefit.
Risk management: Implementation of regulatory actions and measures aimed at preventing, controlling, and mitigating risks.
Supervisory agency: Government authority responsible for overseeing dam safety within its jurisdiction.
Reservoir: The artificial accumulation of water, liquid substances, or mixtures of liquids and solids.
Dam safety: The condition that ensures the structural and operational integrity of the dam, while preserving life, health, property, and the environment.
Emergency Action Plan (EAP): A formal document prepared by the operator identifying potential dam emergencies, outlining response actions, and specifying the authorities to be notified, with the objective of minimizing damage and loss of life.
Warning system: A set of equipment or technological resources designed to inform the population potentially affected within the Self-Rescue Zone (ZAS) of imminent danger.
Potential emergency situation: Any situation that may compromise the structural or operational integrity of the dam, or threaten life, health, property, and the environment.
Self-Rescue Zone (ZAS): The downstream valley area where emergency warnings are the responsibility of the dam operator due to insufficient time for authorities to intervene. The minimum delimitation should follow the lesser of: the area that would be reached by a flood wave within 30 minutes or a 10 km distance.
Secondary Safety Zone (ZSS): The area depicted in the Flood Map that lies outside the Self-Rescue Zone (ZAS).
