Emergency Preparedness and Response Planning for Catastrophic Dam Failure

Williston State College

Williston State College students from multiple disciplines used GIS to provide community officials with baseline data for updating their emergency response plans in the event of a catastrophic failure of a large, upstream dam.

Williston, North Dakota, is 227 miles downstream from Fort Peck Dam, built in the 1930s and the largest hydraulically filled, multipurpose dam and the fifth largest reservoir in the United States. In the event of a catastrophic dam failure, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates flood waters will arrive in Williston within 1.4 days and reach peak elevation in 2.2 days. The students' findings were presented to Williston officials and seventeen other downstream communities at risk.

Courtesy of Williston State College.

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