Failure of Buffalo Creek Dam, February 26, 1972

Part of the special issue on dam failures and incidents and their impact on the community.

The Buffalo Creek Dam failure occurred around 8:00 a.m. on February 26, 1972, in a massive coal-waste refuse pile damming a stream channel in Middle Fork Hollow in West Virginia. The reservoir waters combined with the coal-waste and sludge from coal-washing operations, and stream flows from three days of rain, resulted in a 20- to 30-foot wave of rampaging water with an estimated maximum flow rate of 50,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). The flood wave was estimated to be traveling at up to 30 miles per hour, causing devastation in 16 small communities below the dam, including Sauders, Pardee, Lorado, and Lundale.

One hundred and twenty-five people perished because of the dam failure. Over 4,000 survivors saw their lives dramatically and irreversibly impacted. The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) report (USACE, 1972) notes that 507 homes were destroyed, 273 homes were seriously damaged, and minor damage occurred to 663 additional homes. Other infrastructure, including commercial and community buildings, roads, bridges, etc., were also destroyed or significantly impacted (USACE, 1972).

This article aims to explore first-hand accounts and investigations of the disaster to understand better the impact the disaster had on our nation and the dam engineering community of practice. Further, this article summarizes the investigations that occurred following the failure of the dam and explores whether further study is needed given the current understanding of the modes of failure that may have happened and technological advancements since that time.