About 3,3 Mio. tons per year of iron ore are mined by drill and blast operations at the “Steirischer Erzberg”. During the processing routine, approximately 3% of these 3,3 Mio. t accumulate as fines having a grain size <0,2 mm. The mineral composition of the discharged tailings corresponds to the mineralization of the mined ore: siderite, ankerite, calcite, dolomite, and silicates. The fines are pumped in pipes over a height difference of 240 m into waste ponds of the type constructed as permanent pools that ar surrounded by abandaned waste dumps and dams, erected to full height. The discharged pulp contains 8% by volume of solids. The dam design in general, materials used, the operation and safety aspects are discussed. Besides the dam construction, the unique situation is discribed evaluated focusing of the tailings ponds in the “Hintererzbergtal“. In these days, the “Steirischer Erzberg” has an approved tailings pond volume of 1,7 Mio. m³ what leads corresponding to a constructed pools operation life time of 35 years at constant fines production. Here, the “Erzbach” creek has been covered about 50-100 m.