A dam failure or dam burst is a catastrophic type of structural failure characterized by the sudden, rapid, and uncontrolled release of impounded water or the likelihood of such an uncontrolled release. Between the years 2000 and 2009 more than 200 notable dam failures happened worldwide. A

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

is a barrier across flowing water that obstructs, that directs or slows down the flow, often creating a

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

or impoundments. Most dams have a section called a ''

spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...

weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

'' over or through which water flows, either intermittently or continuously, and some have

hydroelectric power generation Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also ...

systems installed. Dams are considered "installations containing dangerous forces" under

international humanitarian law International humanitarian law (IHL), also referred to as the laws of armed conflict or the laws of war, is the law that regulates the conduct of war (''wikt:jus in bello, jus in bello''). It is a branch of international law that seeks to limit ...

due to the massive impact of a possible destruction on the civilian population and the environment. Dam failures are comparatively rare, but can cause immense damage and loss of life when they occur. In 1975 the failure of the Banqiao Reservoir Dam and other dams in

Henan Province Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Luo ...

, China caused more casualties than any other dam failure in history. The disaster killed an estimated 171,000 people and 11 million people lost their homes.

Main causes of dam failures

International special sign for works and installations containing dangerous forces

Common causes of dam failure include: * Sub-standard construction materials/techniques ( Gleno Dam) *

Spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...

design error (near failure of Glen Canyon Dam, Oroville Dam, Walnut Grove Dam) *Lowering of dam crest height, which reduces spillway flow ( South Fork Dam) * Geological instability caused by changes to water levels during filling or poor surveying (

Malpasset Dam The Malpasset Dam was an arch dam (convex surface facing upstream) on the Reyran, Reyran River, north of Fréjus on the French Riviera. It collapsed on 2 December 1959, killing 423 people in the resulting flood. The breach was caused by a tectoni ...

). * Sliding of a mountain into the reservoir ( Vajont Dam – not a dam failure, but caused nearly the entire volume of the reservoir to be displaced and overtop the dam) * Poor maintenance, especially of outlet pipes ( Lawn Lake Dam, Val di Stava dam collapse) * Extreme inflow ( Shakidor Dam) * Human, computer or design error ( Buffalo Creek Flood, Dale Dike Reservoir,

Taum Sauk pumped storage plant Tuam (; , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. The town is in a civil parish of the same name. Human ...

) * Internal erosion or piping, especially in earthen dams ( Teton Dam) *

Earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

s * Climate-driven landscape instability (Rock-ice avalanches, Permafrost landslides, Debris flows, Outburst floods from glacial lakes and landslide-dammed lakes)

Deliberate breaching

A notable case of deliberate dam breaching was the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

Dambusters raid on Germany in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

(codenamed ''"

Operation Chastise Operation Chastise, commonly known as the Dambusters Raid, was an attack on Nazi Germany, German dams carried out on the night of 16/17 May 1943 by No. 617 Squadron RAF, 617 Squadron RAF Bomber Command, later called the Dam Busters, using spe ...

"''), in which six German dams were selected to be breached in order to impact German infrastructure and manufacturing and power capabilities deriving from the

Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...

and Eder rivers. This raid later became the basis for several films. Attacks on dams were restricted in Article 56 of the 1977

Protocol I Protocol I (also Additional Protocol I and AP I) is a 1977 amendment Protocol (diplomacy), protocol to the Geneva Conventions concerning the protection of civilian casualty, civilian victims of international war, including "armed conflicts in ...

amendment to the Geneva Conventions. Dams may not be lawfully attacked "if such attack may cause the release of dangerous forces from the works or installations and consequent severe losses among the civilian population", unless "it is used for other than its normal function and in regular, significant and direct support of military operations and if such attack is the only feasible way to terminate such support". Similar provisions apply to other sources of "dangerous forces", such as nuclear power plants. Other cases include the Chinese bombing of multiple dams during Typhoon Nina (1975) in an attempt to drain them before their reservoirs overflowed. The typhoon produced what is now considered a 1-in-2,000-year flood, which few if any of these dams were designed to survive. The Kakhovka Dam was destroyed in June 2023, during the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

List of major dam failures

Expected dam failures

Based on the advances in

structural engineering Structural engineering is a sub-discipline of civil engineering in which structural engineers are trained to design the 'bones and joints' that create the form and shape of human-made Structure#Load-bearing, structures. Structural engineers also ...

, seismology and previous dam failures, it has become possible to predict, or in some cases to know with certainty, about future dam failures. Important additional aspects are typical experiences with lack of monitoring and maintenance of dams and the false operation of dams in favour of electricity production, not flood-control (leading to higher reservoir levels with less flood intake-capacity). Some dam failures, like that of

Aswan High Dam The Aswan Dam, or Aswan High Dam, is one of the world's largest embankment dams, which was built across the Nile in Aswan, Egypt, between 1960 and 1970. When it was completed, it was the tallest earthen dam in the world, surpassing the Chatug ...

in Egypt, will be of such catastrophic consequences, that scientists and engineers have conducted studies, based on the method of flood routing to predict volume, speed and spreading of a flood following a dam failure. These studies are among the most significant warnings to governments, as inland floods, based on the high volumes of water from reservoirs are the most destructive among all industrial disasters. A study about the Breach of Aswan Dam resulting in 209 cubic kilometers of flood waters was presented to the president and the advisory board in November 16th 2024 by Hany El-Kateb."Advisory Council Egypt receives Aswan stud

/ref>

References

External links

A list of dam failures and incidents in the United States
Dam Safety.org

WISE Uranium Project * Chanson, H. (2009
Application of the Method of Characteristics to the Dam Break Wave Problem
Journal of Hydraulic Research, IAHR, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 41–49 (ISSN 0022-1686). Available as a pdf a
Dam Failure and Flood Event Case History Compilation
Bureau of Reclamation
Mount Polley mine: Ex-engineers warned tailings pond 'getting large'Floods from tailings dam failures
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dam Failure Dam failures, Technology hazards pt:Barragem#Barragens fracassadas