Dam Pass or Fail
Watch out! The unexpected failure of the Teton Dam in Idaho in 1976 caused 14 deaths and more than $1 billion in property damage.Copyright US Bureau of Reclamation http://www.geol.ucsb.edu/faculty/sylvester/Teton_Dam/welcome_dam.html
Students conduct Internet research to investigate the purpose and current functioning status of some of the largest dams throughout the world. They investigate the success or failure of eight dams and complete a worksheet. While researching the dams, they also gain an understanding of the scale of these structures by recording and comparing their reservoir capacities. Students come to understand that dams, like all engineered structures, have a finite lifespan and require ongoing maintenance and evaluation for their usefulness.
All engineered structures have a limited lifespan and require maintenance to remain useful and safe. Engineers deepen their knowledge of a topic and learn from past examples (including failures) by investigating existing and past designs. Understanding the importance of continuus maintenance of engineered structures such as dams is helped by researching real-life examples.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Compare dam reservoir volumes by ranking.
- Know that dams have a finite lifespan.
- Know that engineers are responsible for the safety and reliability of dams.
- Name at least five notable dams.