About EAPs
Fatal Statistics on Dam Failures
Contrary to popular belief:
Most dam failure fatalities are not the result of large dams.
Most fatalities are the result of small dam failures.
Dam failures resulting in fatalities:
- 86% of the fatalities have resulted from dams between 20 and 49 feet in height
- 47% of the fatalities have resulted from dams with a drainage area less than 2 square miles
- 75 % of the fatalities have resulted from dams with a drainage area less than 10 square miles
- 7 dams had less than 300 acre-feet of reservoir storage area
- This description fits many of Indiana's dams
Failure of smaller dams in other states proved fatal:
- Laurel
Run Dam, Pennsylvania
- 42 foot high dam
- 310 acre-feet storage volume
- Failed at 2:35 a.m. July 20, 1977
- 30 homes suffered major damage
- 40 fatalities
- Kelly Barnes Dam, Georgia
- 40 foot high dam
- 630 acre-feet storage volume
- Failed 1:20 a.m. November 6, 1977
- 9 homes, 18 trailers, 2 college dorms demolished
- 39 dead
- Timberlake Dam, Virginia
- 33 foot high dam
- 1,449 acre-feet storage volume
- Failed 11 p.m. June 22, 1995
- 2 fatalities
- Koloko Dam, Hawaii
- 44 foot high dam
- 1,400 acre-feet storage volume
- Failed 5:30 a.m. March 14, 2006
- 7 fatalities
Wishful thinking vs. reality:
- Owners do not think their dam is vulnerable
- Downstream inundation and impact zones are much greater than thought
- Good design, construction and maintenance does not always prevent failures
- Problems develop because of unexpected occurrences
Regardless of the cause, the dam owner is always responsible and will normally be held liable
Factors Influencing Loss of Life from Dam Failures:
- Number of people at risk
- Flood depths and velocities
- Time of day or time of year
- Ease of Evacuation
- Timeliness of warnings
Planning can reduce loss of life. An Emergency Action Plan helps dam owners, emergency responders, and the public understand and plan for what may happen during a breach under any of these circumstances.