The Meadow Pond Dam Tragedy - Human and Physical Failures

On March 13, 1996, Meadow Pond Dam in Alton, New Hampshire failed, releasing its 44-acre impoundment. The failure flood wave swept through a residential area and, in the process, killed one of the fleeing residents. A follow-up forensic investigation identified piping / internal erosion at the spillway slab-embankment interface as the immediate cause of the dam. Seepage and erosion induced the failure of Meadow Pond Dam, but the subsequent tragedy occurred because of human failings. The short story is that the owner did not issue the approved and permitted plans and specifications to the contractor building the dam, hired an inexperienced contractor and field engineer, and made or allowed changes to the original design to save money. Also, some dam design features were not consistent with best practices. In response to this tragedy, the State of New Hampshire made several changes to its dam safety statutes, regulations, and practices.