Report of Failure of Kelly Barnes Dam Flood and Findings

by Federal Investigative Board
Robert L. Crisp, Jr., Chairman
William E. Fox
Robert C. Robison
Vernon B. Sauer

December 21, 1977

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ABSTRACT

The Kelly Barnes Dam failed about 1:30 a.m., on November 6, 1977. The dam went through various stages of development. First as a rock crib dam and then with subsequent stages as an earth dam. The rock crib dam was completed about 1899 to back up water which would be used to power a small hydroelectric plant located near the foot of the Falls. About 1937, the Toccoa Falls Bible Institute was interested in developing a more dependable power source and decided to build an earth dam over the rock crib dam. This construction was performed with equipment provided by a local manufacturer. After World War II, the earth fill was raised to a point where an earth spillway on the left side of the valley could be utilized, and a low point on the rim on the right side away from the dam would serve as an secondary spillway in case high flows occurred.

The final height of the dam was approximately 42 feet above the rock foundation. This installation served as a power source until 1957 for the Toccoa Falls Bible Institute, which later became the Toccoa Falls College. At this time, the development of power was stopped but the dam continued to be used as a recreation lake.

The Board could not determine a sole cause of the November 6, failure. It does conclude that a combination of factors caused the failure. The most probable causes are a local slide on the steep downstream slope probably associated with piping, an attendant localized breach in the crest followed by progressive erosion, saturation of the downstream embankment, and subsequently a total collapse of the structure.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Glossary [Technical terms in the text are also linked to Glossary entries.]

Authority

Purpose

Scope

Description of Kelly Barnes Dam

Public Input

History

Site Inspections and Investigations

1. General
2. Observations at the Dam Site
3. Data Revealed by Failure
4. Sampling and Testing

Probable Condition and Configuration of Dam up to the Time of Failure

1. General
2. Site Geology
3. Meteorological Conditions
4. Hydrology and Hydraulics
5. Stability Analysis

Conclusions

Photographs

The Board wishes to acknowledge its grateful appreciation to all the individuals, organizations, and groups that supplied information and assistance of any kind to this effort. This includes the following contributors:

Office of the Governor of Georgia
Toccoa Falls College and Staff
Citizens of Toccoa Falls
Citizens of Toccoa
Citizens of Stephens County
Stephens County Board of Commissioners - Mack Dalrymple, Chairman
Georgia Baptist Assembly - Harold L. Sangster, Manager
Toccca Falls College Students - past and present
Sheraton Motor Inn, Toccoa, Georgia
Governor's Task Force on Dam Safety
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Georgia Department of Transportation
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - South Atlantic Division, Savannah
District, CERL, and Waterways Experiment Station
U.S. Geological Survey
National Weather Service - Southeast River Forecast Center, Weather Service
Forecast Office (Atlanta)
Soil Conservation Service
Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service
Federal Disaster Assistance Administration
U.S. Army Forces Command Flight Detachment
Professor George F. Sowers - Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. Timothy Long - Georgia Institute of Technology
Dr. Pradeep Talwani - University of South Carolina
Local, State and National Press

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