Teton Dam
| Teton Dam | |
|---|---|
Dam failure on June 5, 1976 | |
Location in Idaho | |
| Official name | Teton Dam |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Fremont & Madison counties, Idaho |
| Coordinates | 43°54′35″N 111°32′21″W / 43.90972°N 111.53917°W |
| Purpose | Flood control, irrigation |
| Construction began | 1972 |
| Opening date | 1976 |
| Demolition date | June 5, 1976 (failure) |
| Construction cost | $48,825,000 ($270 million in 2025) |
| Owner(s) | U.S. Bureau of Reclamation |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment dam |
| Impounds | Teton River |
| Height | 305 ft (93 m) |
| Length | 3,100 ft (940 m) |
| Width (base) | 1,700 ft (520 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Teton Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 288,250 acre-feet (355,550,000 m3) |
| Normal elevation | 5,320 ft (1,620 m) AMSL |
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The Teton Dam was an earthen dam in the western United States, on the Teton River in eastern Idaho. It was built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, one of eight federal agencies authorized to construct dams. Located between Fremont and Madison counties, it suffered a catastrophic failure on June 5, 1976, as it was filling for the first time.
The collapse of Teton Dam killed 11 people and 16,000 livestock. The dam cost about $100 million to build and the federal government paid over $300 million in claims arising from its failure. Total damage estimates have ranged up to $2 billion, and the dam was not rebuilt.