St. Francis Dam disaster

▪ United States history

      catastrophic dam failure in California on March 12, 1928, that was one of the worst civil engineering failures in American history. The ensuing flood killed hundreds and swept away thousands of acres of fertile land.

      The St. Francis Dam was completed in 1926 in San Francisquito Canyon, about 30 miles (50 km) northwest of Los Angeles, under the supervision of William Mulholland, manager and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Bureau of Water Works and Supply. The dam's purpose was to provide a reservoir for the Los Angeles– Owens River aqueduct. Several cracks and leaks were observed in the dam and its abutments, but Mulholland dismissed these as normal. After the reservoir was filled to capacity for the first time on March 7, 1928, he inspected the dam and proclaimed it safe. Just before midnight on March 12, however, the dam's massive concrete wall collapsed, sending billions of gallons of water rushing down the canyon toward the Pacific Ocean. The towns of Castaic Junction, Fillmore, Bardsdale, and Piru were flooded, and more than 1,000 houses were damaged or destroyed. The official death toll was estimated to be 450, but the number killed was likely higher; many victims' bodies were never recovered, and the numerous transient farm workers and illegal immigrants who perished in the flood were never accounted for in official statistics.

      An investigation into the disaster concluded that it had been caused primarily by the unsuitability of the San Francisquito rock for supporting a dam and a reservoir. Mulholland was cleared of all charges regarding the dam failure; nevertheless, the disaster ruined his reputation and ended his career.

* * *