FONTENELLE DAM, RIRIE DAM, AND TETON DAM – AN EXAMINATION OFTHE INFLUENCE OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE ON DECISION-MAKING

摘要

Fontenelle Dam, near Fontenelle, Wyoming, built by the Bureau of Reclamation between 1960rnand 1964, had a serious incident in 1965 that nearly caused a breach of the structure thatrncould have released more than 300,000 acre-feet of water. Teton Dam, near Rexburg, Idaho,rnbuilt by the Bureau of Reclamation between 1972 and 1976, failed in 1976 releasing more thanrn250,000 acre-feet of water and causing 11 fatalities. Ririe Dam, also near Rexburg Idaho, wasrnbuilt in geologic conditions similar to Teton by the Walla Walla District of the Corps ofrnEngineers between 1970 and 1976 – was subsequently transferred to Reclamation – and hasrnperformed well over its life. The dams are all located within 150 miles of each other. The storyrnof why Teton Dam failed is more complex than the technical details surrounding itsrnconstruction and destruction. The Teton disaster is a story of engineering judgment,rncommunication, decision-making, economics, organization, culture, and individual andrnorganizational hubris. To tell this story, one needs to examine the organizational culturesrninfluencing the design and construction of these structures. The focus of this story will bernprimarily to highlight the differences and similarities between the design, construction, andrnorganizational decision-making at Ririe Dam and Teton Dam and briefly examine the influencernthat the incident at Fontenelle had on both structures.