Dam

Location

Constructed

Failed

Dam

Failure

Deaths

English

Sierra County

1858

1883

Rockfill

Dam crumbled to foundations, decay of timber used

-

Long Valley Creek

-

-

1892

-

Heavy rains, dam carried away by flood

-

Stephenson Creek

Fresno

-

1892

-

-

-

The Angels

Calaveras County

-

1895

Rubble masonry

Undermined during flood, poor foundation

1

Vernon Heights

Oakland

-

1896

Concrete

Shallow foundation

-

Snake Ravine

Stanislaus County

1893

1898

Hydraulic fill

Poor compaction

-

Lake Francis

Dobbins Creek

1899

1899

Hyde earth

Seepage along outlet conduit, top ruptured

-

Piedmont No.1

Oakland

1903

1905

Earth and concrete

Outlet pipe sheared off at core wall

-

San Andreas

-

1868

1906

Earth, rock, concrete

Crack along axis

-

Yuba River (old)

-

-

1907

Earth, hydraulic fill

Insufficient spillway during flood

-

Bishop Creek

Inyo County

1908

1909

-

Section carried away by freshet

-

Morena

San Diego

-

1912

Rockfill

Overtopping

-

Bear Gulch

San Francisquito River

1896

1914

Rolled earth

Drawdown slide

-

Davis

-

-

1914

Earth concrete face

Piping outlet structure caused rapid washout of filling

-

Owen Reservoir

-

-

1914

Earth

Leakage around outlet structure

-

Sepulvida Canyon

-

-

1914

Earth, reinf concrete

Overtopping

-

Lower Otay

San Diego

-

1916

-

Leakage and overtopping due to inadequate spillway

30

Mendota

-

-

1916

-

Undermined

-

Sweetwater

San Diego County

-

1916

Concrete

Overtopping

-

Calaveras

36 mi. SE of San Francisco

1914-25

1918

Semi-hydraulic earth

Concrete outlet tower toppled over during construction

-

Lake Hodges

San Diego

1918

1918

-

Cracks in pier

-

San Pablo

Oakland

1921

1921

Hydraulic fill

Fill loss through riprap

-

Gem Lake

Rush Creek

1917

1925

-

Partial failure

-

Sheffield

Santa Barbara

-

1925

Rolled earth

Earthquake slide

-

Diandi

McMahan Creek

1924

1926

Earth

Overtopping due to settlement

-

Half Moon Bay

-

-

1926

Rolled earth

Overtopping

-

Puddingstone

Pomona

-

1926

Hydraulic fill

Overtopping during construction

-

Bowman

Canyon Creek

1875

1927

-

Dismantled

-

Lake Hemet

Palm Springs

1895

1927

Earth

Overtopping

-

Lafayette

Lafayette Creek

1928

1928

Rolled earth

Foundation slide during construction

-

Saint Francis

San Francisquito Canyon

1926

1928

Concrete gravity

Sudden failure at full capacity through foundation

426

De Sabla Forebay

Chico

1903

1932

Earth

Piping thru embankment

-

Cogswell

Monrovia

1934

1934

Rockfill

Breaching of concrete cover

-

Puck-a-chucky

American River

-

1940

-

Slide led to contract cancellation

-

Lake Yosemite

Merced County

-

1943

Earth

-

-

Stockton Creek

Mariposa

1950

1950

Rolled earth

At abundtment

-

Yuba (new)

-

1949

1951

Rolled earth

Seepage slide

-

Newell Creek

Santa Cruz

-

1961

Earth

Slide during drilling for grout curtain

-

Baldwin Hills

Los Angeles

-

1963

-

Leak through embankment turned into washout

3

Hell Hole

Rubicon River

-

1964

Rockfill

Failed during construction due to unprecedent rains

-

Matilija

Ventura

1949

1965

Concrete gravity

Bad foundation and concrete disintegrating

-

Cane Valley

San Joaquin River

1910

-

Rockfill

Riprap displaced by waves

-

Groose Creek

-

-

-

-

Overtopping

-

Mast

Mendocino

1963

-

-

-

-