THE St. FRANCIS
DAM FAILURE of 1928
G'day folks,
The St. Francis dam failure is considered
one of the worst civil engineering catastrophes in American history.
Built between 1924 and 1926, St. Francis Dam was a curved concrete
gravity dam that was meant to help meet Los Angeles’ growing need for
water regulation and storage. It was located about 30 miles (50 km)
northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Several cracks and leaks were
observed in the dam and its abutments but they were dismissed as normal
by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the general manager
and chief engineer of the dam, William Mulholland.
On March 7, 1928, the reservoir was filled
to capacity for the first time. After an inspection, Mulholland
proclaimed it safe. Five days later, on March 12, the dam
catastrophically failed. The resulting flood killed hundreds and swept
away thousands of acres of fertile land. The disaster was largely blamed
on poor design and the use of poor quality concrete, which allowed
water to undermine the dam's foundations. It goes without saying that it
also marked the end of Mulholland’s career.
Clancy's comment: A sad disaster for hundreds who probably didn't see it coming.
I'm ...
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