Lawn Lake Dam
>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The flood caused by the failure of Lawn Lake Dam scoured Roaring
River valley and deposited an alluvial fan of debris in Horseshoe
Park.
Lawn Lake Dam was an earthen dam in Rocky Mountain National Park that
failed on July 15, 1982. The sudden release of 220 million US gallons
(830,000 m³) of water resulted in a flash flood that killed three
people camping in the park and caused $31 million in damage in and
upstream of the town of Estes Park, Colorado.
Lawn Lake was originally a natural lake with a surface area of 16.4
acres (66,000 m²) located at 11,000 feet (3,400 m) in the Rocky
Mountains. In 1903 a group of farmers from Loveland built a dam to
increase it to 48 acres (190,000 m²) for the purpose of providing
water for irrigation in Loveland. Over the years the road that had
been cut to permit construction of the dam fell into disrepair and
ceased to exist. Because of the dam's remote and difficult location,
inspection and repairs lapsed. It is believed that a leaky outlet
pipe caused erosion of the dam that lead to its failure.
When the dam failed the waters rushed down the Roaring River valley
at a peak rate of 18,000 cubic feet per second (510 m³/s), scouring a
large gully out of the mountain stream and killing one person camping
alongside it. When the waters reached the broader valley of Fall
River at Horseshoe Park they spread out and slowed down, leaving
behind a large alluvial fan of debris. The flood continued down Fall
River and hit the Cascade Dam which stored water to run a
hydroelectric plant about a mile (2 km) downstream. Cascade Dam
failed from the onslaught and added its waters to the flood. The
Aspenglen campground was destroyed and two campers lost their lives
although rangers had been able to give some advance warning. The
flood entered the town of Estes Park and caused severe damage to the
downtown shops. In Estes Park the flood joined the Big Thompson River
and flowed into Estes Lake on the eastern edge of the city. Olympus
Dam there withstood the deluge and the flood was halted.
The scar left by the scouring of Roaring River and the alluvial fan
at Horseshoe Park are still very apparent 23 years later and will
remain for a very long time.
search: