 National Dam Safety Awareness Day occurs on May 31st of each year to commemorate the failure of the South Fork Dam in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1889. The dam failure resulted in the loss of more than 2,200 lives and was the worst dam failure in the history of the United States.
National Dam Safety Awareness Day was created to encourage and promote individual and community responsibility for dam safety, as well as to provide information on what steps can be taken to prevent future catastrophic dam failures. A secondary goal is to promote the benefits dams offer to communities.
In Honor of National Dam Safety Awareness Day, we encourage everyone to do the following:
1. Learn about the dams in Oklahoma and across the United States
2. Learn about public safety and potential risks around dams
3. Learn about historical local and national dam incidents and failures
Sugar Creek Dam (Photo Source: Stoner & Toole, 2008)
4. Register for an upcoming dam safety training
5. Teach future generations about dam safety with some fun dam related activities
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