THE SAINT FRANCIS DAM: WILLIAM MULHOLLAND’S CAREER ENDING DISASTER

The failure of the Saint Francis Dam and its designer, William Mulholland, were due to various reasons that included politics and politicians, corruption, extortion, ignorance, and incompetence. Lack of regulation, developmental planning, and forethought seem to be issues present in every major dam built in United States history, and these were the same issues the Saint Francis Dam experienced. Some of the heavier consequences that stemmed from these traits included catastrophic failures, property damage ranging in the millions of dollars, lost economy, and the loss of lives.

Contrary to what the general public believes, dams are typically produced through political means, not by consensus of the locality, and that was the same for the Saint Francis Dam. This allows for politics, politicians, and other factors to play a role and leads to a lack of regulation that is necessary for construction of safe dams. In any case, a dam that hasn’t failed or collapsed may imply that the structure is safe, but in reality, it may still be prone to failure. Many dams were built on land and water rights that were collected through extortion, leading to many legal and physical disputes. An example of such disputes includes sections of the Los Angeles aqueduct being dynamited by Owens Valley residents (Jackson).

Although a plethora of factors led to the compromise of the Saint Francis Dam, many of them could have been neutralized with the implementation of new regulations and with the improvement of technology. Improvement in both would contribute to the safety standards of every dam.

WORKS CITED

Jackson, D. C., and N. Hundley. "Privilege and Responsibility: William Mulholland and the St.

Francis Dam Disaster." California History 82.3 (2004): 8-47. Web.

Jackson, Donald C. Building the Ultimate Dam: John S. Eastwood and the Control of Water in

the West. Lawrence, Kan.: U of Kansas, 1995. Print.