When did St. Francis Dam collapse?

Francis Dam disaster, catastrophic dam failure in California on March 12, 1928, that was one of the worst civil engineering failures in American history. The ensuing flood killed hundreds and swept away thousands of acres of fertile land.



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More than 450 people were killed in the March 1928 St. Francis Dam collapse, a civil engineering failure that unleashed an avalanche of water across Southern California.

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Three minutes before midnight on March 12, 1928, the St. Francis Dam collapsed, sending over 12 billion gallons of water and debris rushing down the Santa Clara River Valley from San Francisquito Canyon to the Pacific Ocean, 54 miles away. In six hours more than 450 people were swept away in the dark and murky waters.

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Francis Dam disaster, catastrophic dam failure in California on March 12, 1928, that was one of the worst civil engineering failures in American history. The ensuing flood killed hundreds and swept away thousands of acres of fertile land.

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The St. Francis Dam, created by the Los Angeles County Water and Power company as part of the California aqueduct system, collapsed at 11:58 pm on March 12, 1928, making it the was the worst manmade disaster in California history.

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The failure of the South Fork Dam, which affected Johnstown, is currently regarded as the worst dam failure in U.S. history. About eight miles to the east of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was where the South Fork Dam, a rock and earthen dam, was built.

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The January 5, 2023 spillway failure of the North Fork Dam on Pacheco Creek is an unfortunate sign that California has much work to do to ensure dam safety. The North Fork Dam has been a focus of the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD) since at least 2017.

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In 1975 the failure of the Banqiao Reservoir Dam and other dams in Henan Province, China caused more casualties than any other dam failure in history. The disaster killed an estimated 171,000 people and 11 million people lost their homes.

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A wave of water washed above the lake to Casso and Erto, communities above the reservoir, where the air blast and water destroyed buildings and caused at least 158 fatalities. Five downstream towns were destroyed including Longarone, Pirago, Rivalta, Villanova, and Fae.

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The spillways have been used twice. The first time, in 1941, was a test of the system. The second time, in 1983, was for a flood.

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— Nearly 180,000 people were evacuated from Oroville five years ago following a potential Oroville Dam disaster that threatened to flood the town and the surrounding communities.

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Banqiao Dam Failure (China, 1975) The Banqiao Dam failure is considered the deadliest dam disaster in history. Heavy rainfall caused the dam to collapse, leading to a catastrophic flood. The estimated death toll ranges from 26,000 to 171,000, with millions of people affected.

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The Most Devastating Dam Failure in US History
  • The worst dam failure in the United States was the Johnstown flood of 1889. ©Everett Collection/Shutterstock.com.
  • The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club is believed to be the cause of the dam's failure. ...
  • The Johnstown flood of 1889 killed 2,209 people.


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One of the largest dam removals in world history Four dams along the Klamath River, which runs from Oregon into northwestern California, are scheduled to be removed in 2023 and 2024 – Copco No. 1, Copco No. 2, Iron Gate, and JC Boyle.

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