GSE 2021 AGM

AGENDA

12:00 PM - Welcome

12:05 PM - AGM & Related Items

12:30 PM - Technical Presentation

NOTES:

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TECHNICAL PRESENTATION

Teton Dam Failure – A Case Study

Teton Dam was an earthen dam on the Teton River in Idaho, United States. It was 310 feet (94 m) high and 0.6 miles (1.0 km) long and created a reservoir 17 miles (27 km) in length. It was designed by the USBR. Teton Dam was designed and constructed to the modern standards of the 1970s.

The dam suffered a catastrophic failure on June 5, 1976, as it was being filled for the first time. The collapse of the dam resulted in the deaths of 11 people. The dam cost about $100 million to construct, and the federal government paid over $300 million in claims related to its failure. Total damage estimates have ranged up to $2 billion. The dam has not been rebuilt.

Investigations of the Teton Dam failure attributed the catastrophe to a series of design, management and construction related deficiencies. These inadequacies related primarily to the foundation treatment at the dam and adherence to the overall construction schedule. It was determined the most probable physical failure mode was cracking of the dam’s low permeability core due to internal erosion initiated by hydraulic fracturing of the key trench fill material.

This presentation will describe the investigations and geological conditions at the dam site, the design and construction of the Teton Dam and its cause of failure.

SPEAKER BIO:

Mickey Davachi, Ph.D., P.Eng.

Dr. Mickey Davachi has a BSc and an MSc in Civil Engineering and a DIC, an MSc and a PhD in Civil/Geotechnical Engineering. He is a Principal Geotechnical Engineer with Wood. He has over 50 years of experience in providing technical specialist review and advise (ITRB), project management, expert witness, study, planning, geotechnical investigation, design, construction, risk assessment, HIRA, FMEA, dam safety review and safety evaluation for a wide variety of Canadian and International industry sectors including large-scale, mining, tailings, oil sands, multi-disciplinary hydroelectric, water power, water resources, wind power, ports, marine, industrial and heavy civil engineering projects.