Whittenton Pond Dam Emergency

CNN coverage of the Whittenton Pond Dam emergency event in Taunton, MA in October of 2005.

Whittenton Pond Dam or Whittenton Street Dam was a private earthen dam across the Mill River in Taunton, Massachusetts. Built in 1832, the original dam was a half-mile upstream from downtown Taunton. It was 12 feet high and constructed of timber. It was built of wood in 1832, and flooded Taunton when it failed in 1968. Historically heavy and protracted rains fell on New England beginning October 12, 2005. On the morning of Sunday, October 16, officials realized that the dam was in trouble. The dam was determined to be in imminent danger of failure and of flooding Taunton with a 6-foot (1.8 m) wall of water. On Tuesday, 2000 residents of the city were evacuated. Several high-volume pumps were employed to divert water around the dam and drain Whittenton Pond before a catastrophic failure could occur. Though the wooden dam held, later inspections uncovered extensive structural damage. The dam was permanently removed in 2013.