FAILURE OF THE ST FRANCIS DAM Worst Civil

FAILURE OF THE ST. FRANCIS DAM Worst Civil Engineering Failure of the 20 th century By Janna Valdez Fall 2020

Photo Courtesy of Los Angeles Times

The St. Francis Dam Failure ■ March 12 -13, 1928 ■ 400 -600 people dead ■ Water traveled 54 miles ■ 2 miles wide ■ Passed inspection 12 hours before failure

Dimensions: 200 ft height 700 ft length 170 ft base thickness 20 ft top thickness The Construction • • Photo Courtesy of SVCHistory 1924 -1926 Curved concrete gravity type dam A year supply of water 12, 000, 000 gallons of water Height raised two times during construction Noticeable cracks Low factor of safety

WHY DID IT FAIL? 1. Dam was newly constructed. 2. William Mulholland was a reputable engineer.

The Failure 1. Dead Fault line 2. Conglomerate and Schist Foundation 3. Paleolithic Landslide Photo Courtesy of Los Angeles Times

Photo Courtesy of Prenhall

Photo Courtesy of Los Angeles Times

William Mulholland • • Bureau of Water Works and Supply UC Berkeley Honorary Doctorate Tau Beta Pi Isolation until death Photo Courtesy of KPCC

Lessons Learned • Principles of Geology for Civil Engineers • Site Investigations are very important

THANK YOU!

Works Cited Cash, Jesse, et al. “Watch Forgotten Tragedy: The Story of the St Francis Dam | Prime Video. ” Amazon, uploaded by Amazon Prime Video, 30 Nov. 2018, www. amazon. com/Forgotten-Tragedy-Story-Francis-Dam/dp/B 07 NDQ 1 PL 8. Geiger, Charles. “Why the St. Francis Dam Collapsed. ” Scientific American, a Division of Nature America, Inc. , vol. 138, no. 6, 1928, pp. 520– 22. JSTOR, jstor. org/stable/10. 307/24964994. Henny, D. C. “Failure of the St. Francis Dam. ” Journal (American Water Works Association), vol. 20, no. 3, 1928, pp. 343– 48. JSTOR, www. jstor. org/stable/41227921. Lin, David. “There It Is. Take It: Mulholland Gave LA Water and a Motto to Live By. ” A Journal of California, vol. 3, no. 3, 2013, pp. 28– 37. University of California Press, www. jstor. org/stable/10. 1525/boom. 2013. 3. 3. 28. Longwell, Chester. “Lessons Learned from the St. Francis Dam. ” Science, vol. 68, no. 1750, 1928, pp. 36– 37. JSTOR, www. jstor. org/stable/1653492. Rogers, J. David. “The 1928 St. Francis Dam Failure and the 1995/2005 La Conchita Landslides: The Emergence of Engineering Geology and Its Continuing Role in Protecting Society. ” The 1928 St. Francis Dam Failure and the 1995/2005 La Conchita Landslides: The Emergence of Engineering Geology and Its Continuing Role in Protecting Society, 2005, pp. 23– 25. Research. Gate, www. researchgate. net/publication/278683639_The_1928_St_Francis_Dam_Failure_and_ the_19952005_La_Conchita_Landslides_The_Emergence_of_Engineering_Geology_and _Its_Continuing_Role_in_Protecting_Society. Rogers, J. David, and Karl Hasselman. “The St. Francis Dam Failure. ” Worst Civil Engineering History of the 20 th Century, 2013, pp. 26– 27. Missouri University of Science and Technology, web. mst. edu/~rogersda/st_francis_dam/reassessment_of_st_francis_dam_failure. pdf. Schlotan, Melissa. “The St. Francis Dam Disaster. ” The St. Francis Dam Disaster, 2007. University of California, San Diego, home. sandiego. edu. “St. Francis Dam (California, 1928) | Case Study | ASDSO Lessons Learned. ” Damfailures. Org, damfailures. org/case-study/st-francis-damcalifornia 1928/#: %7 E: text=of%20 the%20 dam. - , St. , its%20 last%20 inspection%20 by%20 Mulholland. &text=It%20 is%20 estimated%20 tha t%20 the, a%20 safety%20 factor%20 of%20 four. Accessed 3 Nov. 2020. “St. Francis Dam Failure Causes. ” You. Tube, uploaded by KDAWater. Structures, 12 Mar. 2013, www. youtube. com/watch? v=qwx-e. HF 2 q. Pg&t=75 s. “Water and Power Associates. ” Waterandpower. Org, Water and Power Associates, waterandpower. org/museum/St. %20 Francis%20 Dam%20 Disaster. html. Accessed 3 Nov. 2020. Wiley, A. J. “The St. Francis Dam Failure. ” Journal (American Water Works Association), vol. 20, no. 3, 1928, pp. 338– 42. JSTOR, www. jstor. org/stable/41227920. “William Mulholland. ” Water Education Foundation, 22 June 2020, www. watereducation. org/aquapedia/william-mulholland.