Refine Search

When the Teton Dam Burst

CAN you imagine yourself fishing on a quiet stream one minute, and the next scrambling up a canyonside to escape a 300-foot-high (91-meter-high) wall of water? That actually happened on the Teton River, on June 5 last. Eyewitness accounts of what took place when the Teton Dam burst form a story of ‘truth stranger than fiction.’ Take, for example, what befell this fishing party:

Bright-blue skies made it the perfect Saturday to fish on the Teton River, considered by many to be “the finest trout stream in the state of Idaho.” And so at about 11 a.m. the party of five put their rubber raft on the river just below the Teton Dam. From there, they floated downstream a short way and anchored.

They had already noticed that “the water had changed to a milky color” when suddenly a man called down to them from atop the deep canyon. He warned about the possibility of some high waters as there was “a little leak in the dam.” The fishing party floated farther down and were shocked to see a relative at the canyon’s upper edge shooting his pistol in the air and waving frantically.

This, coupled with rapidly rising water, made them realize something drastic must have happened. As one woman in the group relates: ‘We started paddling madly to shore and frantically began climbing the canyon wall. Looking back, I told the others to let the boat go. I climbed to a high point and stopped to catch my breath when I saw a large metal container about 50 feet [15 meters] in diameter come crashing downstream. The waves were tossing it like a cork. I really climbed!’

Just as the party reached the top, a huge wall of water completely filled the canyon​—a chasm 300 feet deep!

This body of water, which would be named the Teton Flood, continued to move swiftly. One young fisherman was drowned, and another was violently battered but somehow managed to ride with the water for about five miles (8 kilometers) and then to grab onto a tree. He was rescued from the tree several hours later.

Many clocks stopped simultaneously at 11:57 a.m. as the power failed. And to the majority of the one hundred thousand residents of this Idaho region, time seemed to stop. Before the flood was over, eleven would perish and thousands would be homeless. Estimates of property damage would be from $400 million up to $1 billion! Why so extensive? Because of the flood’s five-pronged “attack.”

When the water hit a sharp bend in the river, the watery wall did not turn but part of it “jumped” the riverbank and kept going west. The water also poured through the small valleys or “hollows” in this hilly area, dividing into five fronts or “arms.” Of course, a large “arm” would rush southward following the river basin of the Snake River (into which the Teton River flows).

But what was it like as the waters came rushing out of the canyon into the broader valleys? Darrell Singleton, a congregational elder of Jehovah’s Witnesses, owns a farm four miles (6 kilometers) below the dam. He was on his property and so relates:

“It Engulfed Everything”

“We were loading some gear in the pickup camper when our daughter in Rexberg telephoned. She said that the Teton Dam was washing out and everyone was being told to evacuate. I told her that probably someone was overly excited due to minor flooding caused by spill over the full reservoir. She said that it was more serious than that. So I said that we would hang up and evacuate and let her do the same.

“I wasn’t too concerned but we decided to drive to the dam and see for ourselves. When we arrived, frantic people were racing away from it. One look confirmed what was happening. Down from the canyon, a huge mass of chocolate-brown water was spreading out into the valley. A dust cloud was at the edge of the water. As the flood would reach objects in its path, they would appear to explode.

“We started back to our place, warning the people we passed. At one home they were reluctant to leave but were persuaded when the electric power lines began to fall. We were within two miles of home when we saw a wall of water over 30 feet [9 meters] high hit our place. It engulfed everything. A helpless feeling overtook us​—devastation was everywhere.

“Later, about 5 p.m., we walked back to our farm. The flood had moved our house about 150 yards [137 meters], where it then collapsed. All our other buildings and farm equipment were demolished. My boat and pickup truck, still hitched together, were up in the trees.”

Most of the people in this initially flooded Wilford area had only about a ten-minute warning. Some looked up to see the water coming at them. The eerie sound of trees snapping off warned others. One woman saw “a brick home tossed in the air like a plastic dollhouse.”

Evacuate Now!

Directly in the flood’s path lay a string of small cities. Sugar City was the first. Happily, everyone was evacuated before the watery front, now six miles (10 kilometers) wide, destroyed the city. Uprooted trees, lumber, barrels, even cars and farm implements smashed into the buildings.

Sad to say, many dead animals were also floating. Thousands of cattle had been in the path of the flood. In many cases their owners had time only to open their pens and give them a “running chance.” Some succeeded, but most failed.

City and state policemen were able to spread the warning ahead of the floodwater: ‘Evacuate now!’ The next city, Rexberg, did so just in time, for soon many of its buildings were immersed up to the roof.

As the torrent swept south, each small community, in turn, did what it could to evacuate. Many people were confused. As it was impossible for officials to estimate the speed of the floodwaters, announcements of expected crests were often inaccurate. With electric power knocked out and several bridges washed away, travel and communication were hampered.

Several Cities Fight Back

Idaho Falls was the largest city in the path of the torrent. Hundreds of volunteers responded to calls for emergency work. It was a strange sight to see them busy sandbagging the banks of the Snake River in bright sunshine. On Sunday when the flood crest hit, it measured nineteen feet (6 meters). However, all bridges held​—the flooding had been controlled. The volunteers who worked through the previous day and night had won!

But downriver things would not turn out the same way. Despite valiant volunteer efforts, the persistent tide poured into several communities. Almost 75 miles (120 kilometers) from the dam, it was still a raging torrent!

Finally by Monday night the waters were receding; the Teton Flood had run its course. Shocked communities literally were picking up the pieces. Many were grateful that it had occurred at midday and not at night when more persons would have been caught off guard. Nonetheless, people everywhere had the same question: How could such a thing have happened?

The Small Beginning

Have you ever heard the story about the little Dutch boy who, upon discovering a leak in a dike, pressed his finger in the hole for hours until help arrived? He was called a “hero” and credited with saving a nearby town! In the same way, it was a leak that gave rise to the Teton Dam tragedy. But help came too late.

Construction cost of the dam was said to be 55 million dollars as the project neared completion. At about 8 a.m., on June 5, 1976, workers were called to the site. For several days a persistent leak had occupied the attention of the work crews. Now this leak was running muddy water and another leak was noticed. Since the reservoir behind the dam was full for the first time, the presence of these leaks was disturbing.

It was decided to use two bulldozers and push boulders into the big leak on the face of the dam. However, by this time an ominous whirlpool (indicating the force of the flow) had formed on the reservoir side of the dam. In addition, the larger bulldozer sank into the earthen dam and so the two operators chained the vehicles together and tried to move both back up the slope. Soon the supervisor interrupted them and motioned both operators to leave their machines and get to safety. The leak was running much more water and eroding a gaping hole back into the dam.

Large bulldozers now moved on the top of the dam to push boulders down into the whirlpool on the reservoir side. Despite this, the leak increased and the two previously abandoned bulldozers, chained together, fell into the roaring torrent. Shortly all men and equipment were removed from the dam. The battle to stop the flow was lost.

An eyewitness describes what next happened: “I knew it was going to flood but I had no idea it would be like that; it looked like the ocean pouring in. Everything filled so fast. Every time a piece [large earthen portion of the dam] fell in, it was like a bomb exploding. An explosion of mud.”

But with all the technical advances in construction, how could the leaks have developed? Five weeks later, reports Engineering News-Record of July 15, 1976, a panel of experts “named five possible causes for the 305-ft-high [93-meter-high] earthfill’s failure.” The favored theories involve malfunction of what is called the “grout curtain.” What does that mean?

When the type of rock beneath or at the ends of a dam (as canyon walls) is suspected of being porous, rows of large holes are drilled into the rock and concrete is injected. This concrete wall or “curtain” should prevent water from seeping under or around the dam. Apparently at the Teton Dam, the curtain failed and on one end where the dam joined the canyon wall, water started seeping through. Once this water had eroded away the face of the dam on that end, it was only a short time before the weight of the “lake” behind the dam would cause the weakened portion of the dam to burst open.

Response and Reflection

During this disaster thousands of people responded to aid the flood victims. The response of Jehovah’s Witnesses throughout the western United States was termed “overwhelming.” One victim tells the heartwarming story of how “at daylight Sunday when I got up, there was a truckload of food, clothing and bedding, sitting out in front of the house with two brothers [fellow Witnesses] sitting in the cab asleep. They had driven most of the night.”

In fact, a forty-five-foot van of supplies was sent up from Utah and another large trailer load came in from California. One of the recipients notes: “So much help came that we didn’t know what to do with it all. We knew that the brothers were sending it for anyone who had need, and so we shared with neighbors and other people who were in the same circumstances as we were.” Soon those directing the relief work of the Witnesses had to say: “It’s enough!”

Reflecting back on the three-day ordeal, one sees startling contrasts. The majority of people had worked together and shown kindness to one another. Some even risked their lives to save others. On the other hand, law-enforcement officials soon had a serious problem with looting. Since state police were controlling access to the disaster area, apparently this calloused stealing was done by ‘neighbors’ of the victims.

Further contrast was shown in the attitudes taken toward the loss of possessions. Naturally, many expressed fear and anxiety about the future. Yet one woman mused: “It was a terrible experience, but I’m sure glad the people I love most are safe. From this, I think people have realized it’s people who are important and not material possessions.”

But whatever lessons the Teton Flood conveyed, it left its mark​—on the land and on the survivors.​—Contributed.

[Picture on page 7]

Courtesy of U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation

The gigantic gap left in the dam after its rupture