CS14B - Concurrent Session 14B: 1993 Split Rock Creek Dam Failure: Can I Get an Inspection?

The Split Rock Creek Dam is located 3 miles north of Jasper, Minnesota, and was constructed in 1938 out of Sioux Quartzite rock to create a recreational lake. The dam was owned by the State of Minnesota. In May of 1993, the Split Rock Creek flooded due to heavy rains and broke through the earthen dike on the west side of the dam. The lake was drained to repair the dam following the failure.

The town of Brandon, South Dakota, located 23 miles downstream on Split Rock Creek, brought a lawsuit against the State of Minnesota for approximately $400,000 dollars for damage to its golf course, claiming that Minnesota had failed to adequately inspect the dam in keeping with state regulations. A judge from Pipestone County, Minnesota, dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources was not liable because the state’s regulations make the timing of inspections “subject to the availability of staff and funds”. The legislature was still in session when the structure failed. Lawmakers allotted $350,000 to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to quickly repair the dam.

Even if the lawsuit had been thrown out, this failure brings an interesting discussion on regulations and lawsuits. Where availability of staff and funds is limited, the State of Minnesota was not required to inspect the dam. The City of Brandon, South Dakota apparently was convinced that there was a defect with the dam which could be observed (and was not) and thus was a potential reason for the failure and downstream damages. However, simply performing inspections may not have prevented the failures. Would a higher frequency of inspections have prevented this failure? Or was the dam loaded beyond design limits during the flood event?

This presentation will discuss the history of the failure and discuss the role that dam safety inspections play for a rural dam such as this one and lessons learned from the proposed lawsuit.