| Teton Dam | |
|---|---|
_Teton_Dam_Flood_-_Newdale.jpg) Dam failure on June 5, 1976 | |
  Location in the United States  Location in Idaho | |
| Official name | Teton Dam |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Fremont & Madison counties, Idaho |
| Coordinates | 43°54′35″N 111°32′21″W / 43.90972°N 111.53917°W |
| Purpose | Flood control, irrigation |
| Construction began | 1972[1] |
| Opening date | 1976 |
| Demolition date | June 5, 1976 (failure) |
| Construction cost | $48,825,000 ($261 million in 2024[2]) |
| Owner(s) | U.S. Bureau of Reclamation |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment dam |
| Impounds | Teton River |
| Height | 305 ft (93 m) |
| Length | 3,100 ft (940 m) |
| Width (base) | 1,700 ft (520 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Teton Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 288,250 acre-feet (355,550,000 m3)[3] |
| Normal elevation | 5,320 ft (1,620 m) AMSL[3] |
The Teton Dam was an earthen dam in the western United States, on the Teton River in eastern Idaho. It was built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, one of eight federal agencies authorized to construct dams.[4] Located between Fremont and Madison counties, it suffered a catastrophic failure on June 5, 1976, as it was filling for the first time.
The collapse of Teton Dam killed 11 people[5] and 16,000 livestock.[6] The dam cost about $100 million to build and the federal government paid over $300 million in claims arising from its failure. Total damage estimates have ranged up to $2 billion,[7] and the dam was not rebuilt.
- ^ "Crews due at planned dam site". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. December 17, 1971. p. 7.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ a b "Teton Basin Project: Development". USBR. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- ^ Perrow, Charles. Normal Accidents. New York: Basic Books, 1984. ISBN 0-465-05144-8, pp. 233–238
- ^ "The Failure of Teton Dam". Bureau of Reclamation. April 18, 2011. Archived from the original on November 28, 2011. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
- ^ Disaster at Teton (video). Periscope Films. 2015. Event occurs at 00:46. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ Reisner, Marc (1993). Cadillac Desert. Penguin. p. 407. ISBN 978-0-14-017824-1.