Baldwin Hills Dam disaster

1963

Baldwin Hills Dam disaster

1  1 

United States United States > California > Los Angeles County > Los Angeles
A view of the Baldwin Hills Reservoir after the flood that occurred on December 14, 1963, looking down into the 75-foot section of the north wall of the dam that cracked and ruptured. Trucks from the clean-up efforts can be seen in the empty reservoir. Photograph dated 1963On December 14, 1963 at 3:38 P.M., the dam containing the Baldwin Hills Reservoir ruptured and released a 50-foot wave of water that flooded the area between Jefferson and La Cienega Boulevards and La Brea Avenue, including the Village Green community. Nearly 300 million gallons of water gushed down the hillside for 77 minutes causing the death of five people and 10 million dollars worth of property damage. The crack in the dam was ultimately attributed to a faultline beneath the reservoir and subsidence caused by overexploitation of the Inglewood oil field.
Comments (0)

Register or login to comment and contribute to the community 

avatar

jeffery
373 photos

St. Louis during The Great DepressionLackawanna Railroad StationBell P-39 at Buffalo AirportConnellsville. Baptist ChurchLackawanna Railroad Station



Nearby photos

Baldwin Hills Dam disasterBaldwin Hills Reservoir breakDrainage pipeWalls that failed to hold back disasterBaldwin Hills Reservoir constructionBaldwin Hills Reservoir constructionBaldwin Hills ReservoirBaldwin Hills Reservoir fills upBaldwin Hills Reservoir disasterBaldwin Hills Reservoir disaster

Photo published on
 December 6, 2021 at 10:25 AM

© Rolland J. Curtis
All rights reserved

Image used under "Fair Use" conditions



Old photos of Los Angeles,Old photographs of Los Angeles,Old images of Los Angeles,Old snapshots of Los Angeles,Old panoramic views of Los Angeles,Old prints of Los Angeles