Dam Safety
Dams and reservoirs examined through geology, design, monitoring, warning, and emergency decisions.
61 results found
Investigations
One Bulldozer Never Came Back
Workers tried to stop a growing leak in Idaho’s Teton Dam with bulldozers. One machine was never recovered. Thirty-seven minutes later, the dam failed.
They Checked the Dam That Morning
On the morning of March 12, 1928, engineers inspected a troubling leak at California’s St. Francis Dam and found no immediate danger. Before midnight, the dam was gone.
The Dam That Didn’t Fail
In 1963, a mountainside fell into Italy’s Vajont reservoir and killed about 1,900 people. The dam survived. The deeper failure had happened before the wave.