Dam Failure - Main Causes of Dam Failure

Main Causes of Dam Failure

Common causes of dam failure include:

  • Sub-standard construction materials/techniques (Gleno Dam)
  • Spillway design error (South Fork Dam, near failure of Glen Canyon Dam)
  • Geological instability caused by changes to water levels during filling or poor surveying (Malpasset).
  • Sliding of a mountain into the reservoir (Vajont Dam – not exactly a dam failure, but caused nearly the entire volume of said reservoir to be displaced and overtop the dam)
  • Poor maintenance, especially of outlet pipes (Lawn Lake Dam, Val di Stava Dam collapse)
  • Extreme inflow (Shakidor Dam)
  • Human, computer or design error (Buffalo Creek Flood, Dale Dike Reservoir, Taum Sauk pumped storage plant)
  • Internal erosion, especially in earthen dams (Teton Dam)
  • Earthquake

Read more about this topic:  Dam Failure

Famous quotes containing the words main, dam and/or failure:

    “Man’s main task in life is to give birth to himself, to become what he potentially is. The most important product of his effort is his own personality.”
    —Erich Fromm (1900–1980)

    “The devil take one party and his dam the other!”
    —William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

    “It’s a failure of national vision when you regard children as weapons, and talents as materials you can mine, assay, and fabricate for profit and defense.”
    —John Hersey (1914–1993)