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On-Demand Webinar: Teton Dam – The Failure That Changed an Industry

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Association of State Dam Safety Officials, 2020



While there have been many notable dam failures throughout the past century, the failure of Teton Dam in 1976 led to significant changes at the Bureau of Reclamation, in the Federal Government, and in the dam engineering industry. This course will provide information about the dam, the failure, ensuing investigations, and the changes that were implemented in the years that followed.

Key Take-aways:

  • The failure of Teton Dam was significant in defining the importance of dam safety and dam safety policy.
  • The death toll could have been far worse if the timeline had unfolded differently.
  • A dam failure brings extraordinary scrutiny upon the dam owner.
  • While the failure was catastrophic, significant positive changes in the industry were initiated.
  • Human factors play a key role in most if not all incidents/failures - we can’t just focus on technical issues.


Access Training Here

Speaker(s): Bruce C. Muller Jr. and Nathaniel Gee


Revision ID: 2316
Revision Date: 08/19/2022