The impact of dam failures on the development of dam safety legislation and policy in the 1970s

摘要

What leads to a dam safety law being passed? Tireless work promoting dam safety and associated public safety impacts, or an actual disaster? The 1970s was perhaps the most significant decade for development of dam safety laws and regulations in the United States. This eventful time is often attributed to the dam failures that occurred in these years, most notably, Buffalo Creek (WV) in 1972, Teton Dam (ID) in 1976, and Kelly Barnes Dam (GA) in 1977. This paper highlights the status of dam safety laws and guidelines at that time and how they were affected by these significant disasters, and also examines the roles of the technical and non-technical communities that worked tirelessly prior to and after the disasters to make significant legislative change.