A coal slurry impoundment consists of solid and liquid waste and is a by-product of the coal mining and preparation processes. Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Waste Waste inside a wheelie bin Waste, rubbish, trash, garbage, or junk is unwanted or undesired material. ... A by-product is a secondary or incidental product deriving from a manufacturing process or chemical reaction, and is not the primary product or service being produced. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Mining generates enormous amounts of solid waste in the form of rocks and dirt. This refuse is used to dam the opening of a hollow between adjacent mountains. Industrial waste is a waste caused by industrial factories or mills. ... Scrivener Dam, in Canberra, Australia, was engineered to withstand a once-in-5000-years flood A dam is a barrier across flowing water that obstructs, directs or retards the flow, often creating a reservoir, lake or impoundment. ...

After the dam is built, the void behind it is typically filled with millions of gallons of waste slurry from a coal preparation plant. This impounded liquid waste can sometimes total billions of gallons in a single facility. A Coal Preparation Plant (CPP) is a facility that washes coal of soil and rock, preparing it for transport to market. ...