Auburn Upstream Cofferdam Failure, 02/18/1986

Auburn Upstream Cofferdam Failure, 02/18/1986 -
A video showing the breaching of the cofferdam built in Auburn CA due to the heavy rains of February 1986. This dam breach is mentioned in Nature Noir. This video recording shows 125,000 cubic feet of water as it flowed down the Lower American River through Sacramento to the confluence with the Sacramento River.

[@ArmchairEngineer]

Wow, thank you for posting this! Where did you come across the footage?

[@michaelstrahan2.0]

+Armchair Engineer Agreed. Very interesting footage.

[@am95405]

Short answer: Bureau of Reclamation's library Long answer: Read below It actually took some work to get the video, but I really wanted to see it, so in this case persistence paid. I had read about the dam breach in the book Nature Noir, and how the breach had been videotaped. The book was required reading for an outdoor recreation and parks management class I took. I highly recommend the book. Anyway, being an engineer (I take these classes just because I like them ), and living in Northern California, I became very curious about the dam. All I could find online was a reference to the National Archives copy of the video, and they are in DC, I am in California, and to get a copy from them would cost a lot of money. It was an archival copy and it would take a lot of work to get me a copy; I would have to go through a third party, lots of paperwork, etc. I called various universities and thought they may have a copy (everyone thought Berkeley would have a copy). None did. In the end, it was the librarian at the Bureau of Reclamation's Sacramento office that found me the video and made me a copy. She was really wonderful. I did have a hard time uploading it and am still not sure if it all got uploaded. Glad others find it interesting too.

[@tackssherbo7104]

+Afsi Moaveni Thank you VERY much for sharing. And every now and then, you find someone who genuinely wants to share knowledge and educate others. Bravo for that librarian for her unselfish efforts!!

[@elpmurc]

+Afsi Moaveni Thank you for your persistence in obtaining this video, I found it very interesting.

[@deseminvoller]

This is one of the coolest vids on you tube for me. I've enjoyed making dams on creeks since childhood and enjoy/ enjoyed busting them. I've busted a lagoon/ estuary wall before at Corindi beach Northern NSW, Australia after heavy rains. The lagoon, estuary was full one time with the tide only starting to come back in. It took me a long time to dig and bust the wall. Though a little rivulet slowly but surely ate its way back up the beach until the potential energy of the lagoon started to do all the work for me. After about 30 mins to an hour familiar horseshoe shaped erosion started eating back into the fine sand of the lagoon until a torrent was unleashed (though the horshoe shape was much more well defined and the water looking like mercury). Large enough for someone in a canoe to travel down.

[@OleOlson]

That old school 80's learning music really churns up some nostalgia

[@MindHunger]

Short, clear, to the point. Cable TV would take 90 minutes to explain this, including repeating everything that's already been said every time they come back from commercial.

[@SvendleBerries]

Or having a few of the people involved be the center of attention and then needlessly doing a back story on all of them lol With dramatic zooms and pans around them when they are introduced like they are in a comic book movie.

[@Gustav4]

Muddy water=poor land management. There can never be a healthy dam unless the catchment area is healthy.

[@nashvillain171]

Cable TV? What's that?

[@zancrus9629]

lol this is why I can't watch the news especially if there is something big going on. Because you watch the same story every time with models for everything.

[@aktchungrabanio6467]

omg yes!!

[@owl1873]

That was so cool. Hats off to the engineers and those who fulfilled the expectations of the engineering design.

[@filthyanimal1067]

I have no idea why i watched this,i also have no idea why i enjoyed it so much

[@stiimuli]

You enjoyed it because it was really interesting =)

[@benjaminharold5154]

You enjoyed it because it wasn't filled with opinions , finger pointing and drama. it was informative and strait forward, I miss that.

[@listen2meokidoki264]

Yo enjoyed watching the dam collapse. Destruction is in your blood. That's why you love explosions. That's why love watching Hitler's exploding pencil. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIHQiZqsqqpgi5Y

[@danielrupe4768]

It would have even better with all those #me too. demonstrators and george soros at the base of the spillway when it gave way

[@johntuttle3245]

filthy animal I was standing up on the hill on the north west and watched it

[@elhigh]

This is a very clear success. The engineers who planned this breach progression, and the controllers of the dam systems downstream who monitored the situation and handled the huge influx in a timely fashion, earned their pay and then some. This was well done. It's a shame I never heard about it until nearly 40 years later.

[@hilham89]

Here it is 2019 and I'm just hearing about it.

[@califdad4]

and for the 2nd time Folsom Dam saved Sacramento first time was in 1955

[@brenobacci]

As far as dam failures go, I'd say you could call it a success, just like the government did here. I suppose Trump is indeed like Reagan.

[@califdad4]

@@hilham89 anyone who lived in the area knew about this, it was a fairly big news day

[@badandy102]

Dare I say, It's a dam great success?

[@vegheadcat2260]

I didnt realize how much I missed my childhood until I heard his voice, saw the video quality, and just straight to the information. The nostalgia almost hurts, such different times, such a short time

[@Jaecht88]

You looking damn good

[@yashsvidixit7169]

How are you doing now Veghead Cat? You look like a blast in your profile pic.

[@databang]

“Designed to fail.” Gotta use that line next time I mess something up. Thanks for sharing.

[@SpartacusColo]

I just blame it on the guy who was there before me. Either him, or the retired electrician.

[@lilrask9464]

That's gold bro LOL

[@finscreenname]

A lot of things are designed to fail. Just like this dam your car has things called fusible links that are designed to fail if they get an electric over load saving the rest of your electrical system....like the "plug" in the dam.

[@karpabla]

I, myself, am designed to fail, I guess.

[@finscreenname]

@@karpabla Ya but you want to out live your expected life span like the B-52 or the A-10 if possible. 😊

[@amphetameanqueen]

This is kind of info doco that I used to see at school. To the point, yet and clear and concise and something a kid could learn from.

[@ricardoespinoza5086]

It failed by design, in a controlled way - Excellent engineering work!

[@Badhands55]

Designed to fail

[@michaelburke7143]

@@Badhands55> failed to design

[@bigrigJim]

Thanks for posting this ! My dad came and got me out of school that day and we took a sack lunch and watched it happen live. It was quite a flood I remember.

[@johntuttle3245]

bigrigJim I had just gotten home at lunch time from sierra collage.....saw the very beginning on channel 3 and jumped into the car from home on Racetrack and rushed over too the dam overlook to watch.....was amazing.....and really loud

[@jessauser2812]

What a cool dad.

[@newbee509]

@scott matthew tea bagging I think.

[@Kharnellius]

@scott matthew A lunch you pack in a brown paper bag.

[@Clearanceman2]

They don't make informational videos like this anymore. Everything is all high drama with lots of shots being shown over and over and hysterical people running around yelling. Now, there is 10X more drama if a mechanic on a discovery channel show can't find his wrench.

[@JamieS1992]

and real footage is the best no matter how old it is

[@dirkdiggler2507]

Clearanceman2 word.

[@BrianEvans766]

This is so true

[@santeebandit3246]

So so true. I’m over all this drama crap. History channel is the worst imo

[@killianoshaughnessy1174]

I agree. This has a more "informational" feel to it.

[@rickoliveira3807]

I lived in Granite Bay on Folsom Lake at the time and it was pretty amazing. It sure resulted in some very cautious boating that spring in Folsom Lake because of all the debris.

[@stevenreddy1874]

if you reading this the world is on lockdown and we are trying hard to find good videos like this 10 stars to the narrator

[@russellking9762]

Yes...in the same league as those 50's and 60's machine shop tutorial films...clear. ...concise...well explained ...

[@Sheetshelf6]

"Task Failed Successfully"

[@pbsjones]

Absolutely fascinating. I love it when I fall into an educational rabbit hole.

[@josephastier7421]

I was going to UNR during those storms. There wasn't good information interchange in that era, and many incredible stories like this were simply lost to time. Thanks for posting this video.

[@dpletche]

Wow, I saw this tape after a Folsom Dam tour in 1988, and I've always longed to share it with others. Great work getting it online!

[@jstagzsr]

i was born February 19th 1986 at 4:45pm.. its cool to see the things that were going on right as i was coming into the world. Im glad nobody was hurt. I;m glad whoever designed this coffer dam had the smarts to make it do what it did.

[@chooseknowledge2859]

13 people died...

[@BobElHat]

It's unfortunate that when civil engineers save hundreds of millions of dollars and dozens of lives with fantastic engineering and management like this it's not headline news. Bad news on a tenth of that scale would be the lead story for the best part of a week.

[@sancho7863]

BobElHat whatever, it's their job. They don't need special recognition for doing their dam jobs. Plus, they get paid pretty handsomely.

[@coolbionicle]

Liked for the pun

[@hannawaldify]

Sancho - As far as getting paid handsomely, do you have any idea what kind of rigorous program they go thru in college to obtain that degree, not too mention the money they paid for tuition and expenses? Also, if that sort of care had been taken in the construction of the Oroville Dam maybe hundreds of thousands of lives would not be at risk today. Agree with BobElHat.

[@judsonkr]

Only the most dimwitted of persons would think that the media shouild run stories about all of the things that did not happen today.

[@awesomelyshorticles]

"Hundreds of lives continue on as absolutely nothing in particular happens to them" doesn't make for a very good headline.

[@lilrask9464]

I dunno why videos like this fascinate me and for some reason I watch them late at night. LOL! The power of the water at the diversion tunnel and the sound would be overwhelming.

[@chasbodaniels1744]

I’m sure you’re right. Anyone who’s visited Niagara Falls and driven along the Niagara River on the American side, can attest to the eerie power and sound of that much rushing water.

[@lilrask9464]

@@chasbodaniels1744 That's why I'm glad there's videos out there like these because I get to see places I'll probably never get to visit in my life.

[@TylersNeighborhoodGarage]

Direct and to the point. No music. I used to watch National Geographic for things like this..now there's anything BUT educational content.

[@Flickchaser]

Excellent narration without the usual acid head music to ruin it.

[@EgorKochelev]

joeylawn36111 when ?

[@phillip_mcguinness7025]

Rumor has it, they're still halfway through their set.

[@davehallett3128]

They should say. Auburn cofferdam. Another 160 times though

[@josephsavage4390]

Rumor has it the bags that the swiggity swooty guy threw up came back down and caused the dam to give.

[@shanelmurray3448]

That is probably on the rubbish music for engineering videos record. It could be purchased with annoying music to play in elevators as a box set

[@str8chillin18]

So this happened a year after I was born. Interesting KZbin. Thanks on making me feel old :(

[@oBseSsIoNPC]

I have to say, this is one fascinating video. Incredibly educational and professional. I had no idea they make/made dams like this, where the structure erodes and fails in a predicted manner. Beside obvious fail safes and backups, this is just VERY interesting how they predict the erosion.

[@oBseSsIoNPC]

@bass & pickrel slayer Hello Ali, yes it is. Once the people of Earth get passed greed and arrogance, they will start to really learn about the workings of the universe. Until then, stay safe!

[@jk35260]

This is really a good piece of engineering design and built by some very outstanding engineers.

[@christianstiltner1104]

I lived down stream from that in rancho Cordova, not far from the American river. I remember the flood, it was so cool. Thanks for this post!

[@jrayner21679]

Made in 1986 and still looks beautiful. That narrators voice is classic!!

[@anthonydavis9662]

This was excellently produced and highly informative!

[@Patrick_B687-3]

A dramatic failure that was a complete success! Great video.

[@yasminenazarine1629]

Voice from old days time gone so fast my mother now is old my step father died 💔 god bless him I remember this 💔😢

[@Vaderurn6845]

Engineer 1: Sir we have a problem. Engineer 2: Damn! Engineer 1: Yes sir. How did you know?

[@knucklesnone421]

Not a failure, worked as designed. Title should read breach

[@sylviakoziarski4912]

LOVE the French horns in the overture!

[@AtlasReburdened]

So thats what its like when no one screws up and tries to hide it.

[@theardentone]

There are not many videos worth watching from start to finish. This was a really eye opening look at a damn well planned dam failure.

[@qazmatron]

Not strictly a catastrophic failure. I'm surprised the move mentioned the word (at the end). It was an engineered controlled breach. They could call it a fail-safe.

[@qazmatron]

Not strictly a catastrophic failure. I'm surprised the move mentioned the word (at the end). It was an engineered controlled breach. They could call it a fail-safe.

[@qazmatron]

Not strictly a catastrophic failure. I'm surprised the move mentioned the word (at the end). It was an engineered controlled breach. They could call it a fail-safe.

[@qazmatron]

Not strictly a catastrophic failure. I'm surprised the move mentioned the word (at the end). It was an engineered controlled breach. They could call it a fail-safe.

[@ThisHandleFeatureIsStupid]

The triumphant music bit at the end was well deserved. Congrats to engineering team! :)

[@otakuon]

I was living just below this dam and going to school in Auburn in 1986. This was quite a storm indeed.

[@porcupineracer2]

Bravo to those engineers. Didn’t know you could mitigate something like that. Clever way to approach that problem.

[@pittland44]

Actually had a teacher in high school who was a hydraulic engineer who worked on this project. All these years later it's still cool to learn about. We actually did several experiments where we built model dams (out of dirt, stick, what have you) and saw when they would fail.

[@BluesJamFan]

That's neat. Did your teacher also include steelhead throwing themselves at the dam so they wouldn't fail?

[@KB4QAA]

Excellent engineering. And hats off to the government for funding the needed safety plug!!!

[@atomicwedgie8176]

Californians are proud of their 'plugs'! hehe

[@killianoshaughnessy1174]

09:06 Good to know that the structure itself was built to minimize damage in the event of a catastrophic failure.

[@hubic3725]

The Three Gorges Dam brought me to this. Thanks for this upload!

[@danielmorse6597]

Thank you for such a great video and also to the good people who built a damn that had a amazing safety feature.

[@johnnoecker8471]

Thanx for the share. One can never know too much.

[@jeffe.1586]

Great video. Very well explained. Thank you

[@mykemech]

This style takes me back to childhood. I love it

[@WildWestGal]

Well done to the engineers and management team of this dam system!

[@allen_p]

Good engineering saved lives by having a controlled failure of that plug.

[@alanocarlossur9440]

These are the kind of videos I like. It prompted me to go read about the proposed Auburn Dam, and why it was never finished. A seismic fault under the dam halted construction work on the project.

[@QuantumRift]

A seismic fault. In California. Go figure. Lots of money wasted.

[@paulriddle7818]

@@QuantumRift they believed there were no faults along the Sierra Nevada mountain range. They found one right under the dam site.

[@QuantumRift]

@@paulriddle7818 Yea...isn't California "riddled" with seismic faults? LOL...

[@paulriddle7818]

@@QuantumRift that's just terrible man...... 🤣😝

[@QuantumRift]

@@paulriddle7818 I try. 🤣😝

[@vivalaleta]

We lived above the American River with a view of Lake Clementine. We fought tooth and nail against this monstrosity and was so happy to see it fail. Just reliving good times here.

[@haroldishoy5442]

I was living near Auburn at that time and was watching from the Forest Hill bridge. I watched the high water in the canyon up stream at the confluence take whole trees downriver when the coffer dam finally broke.

[@lawrencekeesler7369]

Thanks for a fascinating video!

[@lesnyk255]

This wasn't a failure at all, any more than a blown fuse is a failure. The safety plug did what it was supposed to do - gave its life to protect the coffer dam from catastrophic collapse.

[@jonathanbush3531]

Really good video and it's amazing the power of water

[@beth-rg8bm]

Brilliant work of engineering....good job!

[@kailexx1962]

These kind of films take me back to high school. I've never slept as good as when one of these films would play in class.

[@raymondfrye5017]

What?...you went to sleep in class instead of checking out all those babes? Make friends and a network.

[@probablynotmyname8521]

Oh god a film they show you in school.

[@joediver7669]

Amazing how different Folsom Dam looks now. I never knew you could drive a cross it.

[@nikkibest5010]

And now after they rerouted the diversion tunnel back to its original river rout, the nightmare threat of an Auburn dam is years behind,. This canyon is my home and I would literally die for it! Save our American River. No Auburn dam!,,

[@thetigerstripes]

When I was a kid, whenever it rained, I made all kinds of “cofferdams” out of rocks and dirt - just like the one in the video only smaller. None of them worked either. Sometimes even concrete fails....

[@SaraJean85]

The gold uncovered from this must have been amazing when found!

[@Mhdogman]

This was very interesting. Thank you. Smiles

[@The4GunGuy]

I grew up in Auburn. If you go to the canyon today, you'll see the huge concrete footings for the Auburn Dam in both sides of the canyon. The Auburn-Forresthill bridge was built to go across Lake Auburn, but today it stands high above the river. The bridge was used on the movie XXX when he drives the corvette off the bridge...That's the Auburn-Forresthill bridge. My friends dad operated one of the cranes that built that bridge and when it was completed, we would crawl in the girders and onto the concrete pillars...there was no railing and we stood 450 feet above the river, throwing things off. If you ever look at the bridge, think about crawling out to those pillars...It was a blast at 13 years old! I was gone when this dam collapse happened but remember hearing about it from my Father.

[@johntuttle3245]

I was up on the hill at the Overlook site watching when it broke in 86.......used too fish a lot on the folsom side of the diversion tunnel when I was a kid in 70s and early 80s

[@ronnieboucherthecrystalcraftsm]

so get your metal detectors and go and see what you can find ? nuggets of GOLD !

[@MyRofaith]

Fascinating footage, thank you for posting. The power of erosion is enormous and much more than I thought. This along with the Glen Canyon erosion incident for me shows that large canyons probably did form in hundreds of years rather than hundreds of thousands of years like some suspect. Given the waterflow of course....

[@bobbypatton4903]

Hahaha... you're funny 😂

[@duradim1]

Large canyons can for in days, example Mt. Saint Helen.

[@BradAcquilin]

Hats off to the folks that designed and constructed that dam.

[@karlhungus5554]

Great video. Thank you.

[@b0bbiejean]

That rainbow distortion in the video oh how it brings back memories good ol VHS

[@Extommy1]

Fascinating. Thank you.

[@j-man6001]

Thank you for this!

[@HAPPYCAMPER20101]

Wow, cheers mate, this vid was very interesting, cool design

[@susanjaeger5645]

Incredible! It was scary and beautiful at the same time. It worked though and was amazing!

[@homefront3162]

Cool Vid, I was drinking Coffee and watching the Coffer Dam

[@Kreemerz]

Had no idea any of this had happened while living in the Bay Area. But I certainly remember all that rain in 86 as well as around 81.

[@mongyaj]

1986, I was only 6 years old and living in Stockton, CA at the time... I bet fishing was great that year of 86'... =D

[@michaelhusar3668]

I was in my last year at Cal St Sacramento in 1986. The level of water flow was amazing. I feel lucky the levy held. My apartment on 1st floor was next to the levy and I would likely have drowned.

[@caldwellbrett6]

Well done on the design!

[@Marcikutyaful]

Very significant soundtrack at the title and end! :-)

[@rickyholt2775]

Great work

[@weltonvillegal6258]

Wow! I never heard about this one!

[@kurtisengle6256]

Very interesting. Thank you.

[@geoffreyswan7866]

Excellent doco

[@ntepup77]

Wow! That was amazing!

[@brendanotoole5871]

Stellar content.

[@Solar333444]

By the way, loved the video, hope you post more of these.

[@jblspeakersandmore277]

This was recommended to me I watched it cause quarantine got my mind floating like a boat

[@clairecelestin8437]

It's amazing how much energy is stored in a reservoir

[@edwilko8819]

The dam lived up to its design 😀

[@richardtherien5162]

Very nice video!

[@lazzaleppi5285]

Great engineering.

[@edwardtoyebo9690]

If you know the area below Folsom Dam, there is the town of Folsom and Negro Bar State Park. This park is an excellent place for water sports enthusiast's of all ages. There are huge rock formations out in the river bed. The flood waters from this dam failure were rushing over the rocks and it looked like something out of a Disaster movie. I always felt the Bluffs were a natural barrier should Folsom Dam ever collapse.

[@SofiaisSunshine]

I remember this like it was yesterday. I was one month old.

[@coloradostrong]

Unfortunately, it washed away the Shady Rest hotel , Hooterville, & uncle Joe but Oliver's farming operation quadrupled in size making Lisa happy and everyone in Green Acres .

[@charlesblack2523]

This was great to know all the fail safe considerations that are taken. I feel safer just knowing this

[@Mark-pm8nw]

I have no idea why this was recommended. But it did a better job at putting me to sleep than anything else

[@mark7880]

I love this dam video!

[@JackofAllTrades1]

Reminded me of videos shown at school in the 1980s.

[@m4yd1e86]

Wow, media back when it actually did what it was supposed to. This was clear, to the point, and made sense. Unlike everything you see on TV now.