This study aims to establish a monitoring method for managing the effective maintenance of tailings dams. The monitoring of a tailings dump area involves several parameters and their investigation through a selection of evaluation items. The extents of defects and progressive failures also need to be effectively estimated. Therefore, the monitoring items can be subdivided into categories relating to the retaining wall structure (concrete wall, reinforcing stone wall, mesh gabions) and general

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... cilities (liner, covering soil, slope, tailings, rain protection facility, leachate, planting), and quantitative evaluations can then be conducted for each condition. In doing so, we developed a systematic monitoring method that assesses the dam maintenance condition with grades and scores. The field application of the monitoring method results showed it to provide a more detailed evaluation than existing monitoring methods: the method detected an additional 16 defects missed by conventional methods. The evaluation gave scores of 89.3, 22.2, and 27.8 to the Geumjang mine tailings dam, the Gupoong mine tailings dam, and the Hwachun mine tailings dam, respectively. The advanced method can provide quantitative evaluation and perform detailed monitoring of the dams. This quantitative evaluation can be used to decide on maintenance priorities, select the main management items, and establish schedules of maintenance.