A Regulatory Perspective on the St. Francis Dam Failure

When St. Francis Dam failed near the stroke of midnight on March 12, 1928, it released a devastating 38,000 acre-feet of water in a massive wave of destruction. At least 450 people were killed, and many others were never accounted for. By several measures, this tragedy was the worst engineering disaster of the 20th century in the United States. Public outrage from the engineering failure of the 205-ft high concrete gravity-arch dam led to comprehensive dam safety regulation in California and initiated the licensing of professional engineers. This article reviews forensic evidence regarding the mode of failure, the regulatory environment in which the dam was constructed, and the effect that additional oversight might have had. The design and construction of St. Francis Dam was exempt from regulatory oversight in place at the time, enacted in 1917 state dam safety legislation. For comparison, the authors examine two similar dams constructed in the same period under regulatory review by the State Engineer. 6 pp., 12 references.