Dam Failure

Dam failures can result in flooding and damage to property and loss of life. There have been very few dam failures in Minnesota that resulted in major damages or loss of life. However, dams can cause problems when they fail or are not operated properly.  A problem at a dam would most likely occur during a flood event, but could occur anytime.

Dam safety is regulated at the state and federal level. St. Louis County has a number of hydro dams for electricity production and headwaters dams for storage of water for hydropower production. The dams that are part of hydropower production are regulated through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Non-federal dams are under the regulatory jurisdiction of the DNR, Division of Waters.  

The residences in the Fond du Lac neighborhood would be severely impacted if the Thompson Hydro facility would fail. Dams upstream from the facility, located in Carlton County, could cause a cascading effect if there would be a malfunction. The dam at Hartley pond could result in extensive damage and potential loss of live in case of failure according to the state risk rating and is the only dam in St. Louis County currently rated a high risk.  

History

One dam failure has been documented for St. Louis County. The Schweiger Dam failed in 1981 when the owner was attempting to perform repairs on the spillway.