Dam Failure Case Study: Schaeffer Dam (Colorado, 1921)

As part of conquering the arid west, water storage has been paramount for settlers in southern Colorado. To help the settlers and farmers along Beaver Creek the Shaeffer Dam and Reservoir was constructed. With the water supplied by Schaeffer Dam the community of Penrose grew to be the largest fruit growing district in the State of Colorado.

Shaeffer Dam was constructed in 1910 in Fremont County, Colorado. The dam was 100-foot-tall, 1,100-foot-long and had a storage capacity of 3,190 acre-ft. The dam had a 3H:1V upstream and 2H:1V downstream slopes. The dam was constructed with a 100-foot-wide spillway with 10 feet of freeboard. The dam also had cut-off walls constructed of concrete and timber.

From June 2-5, 1921, one of the largest rain events in local history occurred in the Arkansas River Valley. While the rain was not a constant and heavy fall, the multiple “cloud bursts” and flooding overwhelmed Beaver Creek and the Schaeffer Dam spillway, resulting in the overtopping and eventual failure of the dam. The failure of the dam drained the entire reservoir in approximately 30 minutes and released a wall of water that “removed every tree, house, and object in its path.” The dam breach occurred on June 5th, and the community was already on alert from the previous two days of flooding. No lives were lost due to the breach. The community of Penrose, Colorado, saw lasting impacts due to the loss of soil and property, the effects of which can still be seen to this day.