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valley, which falls 2,500 feet (760 m) in 6 miles (9.7 km), at a peak rate of 18,000 cu ft/s (510 m/s), scouring a large gully out of the mountain stream and killing one person camping alongside it. At this rate, the lake emptied in about half an hour. When the waters reached
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Over the years the road that had been cut to permit construction of the dam fell into disrepair and ceased to exist. Because of the dam's remote and difficult location, inspection and repairs lapsed. The
Colorado State Engineer determined that the probable cause of the dam failure was deterioration
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plant about a mile (2 km) downstream. Cascade Dam failed from the onslaught and added its waters to the flood. The
Aspenglen campground was destroyed and two campers who returned to recover camping gear lost their lives, due to insufficient warning from park rangers.
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on July 15, 1982, at about 6 a.m., in an event known as the flood of 1982. The sudden release of 30 million cubic feet (850,000 m) of water resulted in a flash flood that killed three people camping in the park and caused $ 31 million in damage to the town of
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of lead caulking on the joint between the outlet pipe and the gate valve leading to internal erosion of the earth-fill dam. There had been issues reported during inspections in 1951, 1975, 1977 and 1978.
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The flood entered the town of Estes Park and caused severe damage to 177 downtown businesses (75 percent of Estes Park's commercial activity). In Estes Park the flood joined the
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Lawn Lake was originally a natural lake with a surface area of 16.4 acres (6.6 hectares), located at an elevation of approximately 11,000 feet (3,400 m) in the
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Hydrology, Geomorphology, and Dam-break
Modeling of the July 15, 1982, Lawn Lake Dam and Cascade Lake Dam Failures, Larimer County, Colorado.
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As a consequence of the dam failure, aging dams at Pear
Reservoir, Bluebird Lake and Sandbeach Lake in the park were demolished and removed.
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built a dam to increase it to a surface area of 48 acres (19 hectares) for the purpose of providing water for irrigation in
Loveland.
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The flood caused by the failure of Lawn Lake Dam scoured
Roaring River valley and deposited an alluvial fan of debris in
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Lawn Lake in 2007, 25 years after the accident, with the shore still showing the former extent of the lake.
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of debris. The flood continued down Fall River and hit the
Cascade Dam which stored water to run a
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The mouth of Lawn Lake (the site of the dam) in July 2007, 25 years after the accident.
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Rocky
Mountain National Park Geologic Resource Evaluation Report
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263:"Coates v. United States, 612 F. Supp. 592 (C.D. Ill. 1985)"
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High
Elevation Dam Removals in Rocky Mountain National Park
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Katie Keller Lynn (September 2004), Sid
Covington (ed.),
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Buildings and structures in Rocky Mountain National Park
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Cache La Poudre River Corridor National Heritage Area
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Buildings and structures in Larimer County, Colorado
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141:they spread out and slowed, leaving behind a large
128:When the dam failed the waters rushed down the
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242:"Case Study: Lawn Lake Dam (Colorado, 1982)"
244:. Association of State Dam Safety Officials
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1179:Building and structure collapses in 1982
278:"1982 flood changed downtown Estes Park"
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806:History of Rocky Mountain National Park
186:
633:Thunder Lake Trail-Bluebird Lake Trail
1098:Rocky Mountain National Park Category
928:Mountain pine beetle outbreak (1996+)
918:Big Thompson River flash flood (1976)
829:Fall River Entrance Historic District
7:
427:Moraine Park Museum and Amphitheater
200:. Town of Estes Park. Archived from
1159:1982 disasters in the United States
1169:1982 disestablishments in Colorado
816:NRHP in Rocky Mountain NP template
161:on the eastern edge of the city.
96:. In 1903 a group of farmers from
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1139:Dam failures in the United States
422:Milner Pass (Continental Divide)
1164:1903 establishments in Colorado
1080:Rocky Mountains subalpine zone
1060:Ecology of the Rocky Mountains
1055:Geology of the Rocky Mountains
276:Cordsen, John (13 July 2012).
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1075:Rivers of the Rocky Mountains
957:Trail Ridge Road / US 34
377:Beaver Meadows Visitor Center
167:Colorado-Big Thompson Project
984:Denver International Airport
353:Rocky Mountain National Park
84:and other downstream areas.
69:Rocky Mountain National Park
834:Holzwarth Historic District
1195:
923:Lawn Lake Dam flood (1982)
658:South Face (Petit Grepon)
593:Continental Divide Trail
34:40.464065°N 105.628077°W
933:Big Meadows fire (2013)
653:Northcutt-Carter Route
613:Flattop Mountain Trail
525:Never Summer Mountains
407:Lulu City (ghost town)
387:Dutchtown (ghost town)
372:Alpine Tundra Research
133:the broader valley of
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39:40.464065; -105.628077
1144:Disasters in Colorado
872:Freelan Oscar Stanley
811:NRHP listings in RMNP
628:Shadow Mountain Trail
603:East Longs Peak Trail
367:Alpine Visitor Center
198:"The Lawn Lake Flood"
123:
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1149:Estes Park, Colorado
989:Denver Union Station
703:Saint Vrain Glaciers
638:Upper Beaver Meadows
442:Upper Beaver Meadows
432:Petit Grepon (spire)
382:Agnes Vaille Shelter
204:on December 9, 2011.
82:Estes Park, Colorado
820:Districts or areas
771:La Poudre Pass Lake
30: /
1065:Continental Divide
683:The Dove (glacier)
618:Lake Haiyaha Trail
557:Twin Sisters Peaks
470:Fairchild Mountain
307:2010-06-20 at the
155:Big Thompson River
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1174:Former reservoirs
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910:Natural disasters
900:The Stanley Hotel
794:
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644:Technical climbs
571:Hiking trails and
465:Chief Cheley Peak
402:Kawuneeche Valley
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1154:1982 in Colorado
1124:Dams in Colorado
895:Grand Lake Lodge
852:Earl of Dunraven
598:East Inlet Trail
573:technical climbs
562:Ypsilon Mountain
540:Mount Richthofen
530:Flattop Mountain
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862:Stephen H. Long
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678:Andrews Glacier
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623:Lost Lake Trail
608:Fern Lake Trail
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756:Haynach Lakes
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688:Mills Glacier
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73:United States
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61:Lawn Lake Dam
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857:Elkanah Lamb
786:Sprague Lake
761:Hidden River
698:Rowe Glacier
648:Casual Route
510:Mount Meeker
500:Mount Julian
480:Hallett Peak
297:
285:. Retrieved
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246:. Retrieved
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226:, retrieved
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202:the original
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143:alluvial fan
127:
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15:
1091:information
1070:Front Range
1046:Geology and
948:Park Roads
766:Murphy Lake
741:Chasm Falls
552:Taylor Peak
545:Static Peak
520:Mummy Range
505:Mount Alice
475:Hagues Peak
437:Tuxedo Park
417:Middle Park
412:Lumpy Ridge
360:Attractions
163:Olympus Dam
104:Dam failure
37: /
25:105°37′41″W
1118:Categories
1089:Additional
1027:Grand Lake
1022:Estes Park
1012:Allenspark
972:US 36
967:US 34
877:Ute people
867:Enos Mills
746:Dream Lake
485:Longs Peak
447:Wild Basin
248:2019-04-13
228:2010-07-24
181:References
159:Lake Estes
135:Fall River
22:40°27′51″N
1048:geography
977:SH 7
963:Highways
751:Fern Lake
731:Bear Lake
722:Bodies of
583:Bear Lake
495:Mount Ida
173:Aftermath
88:Lawn Lake
1032:Longmont
670:Glaciers
305:Archived
98:Loveland
1017:Boulder
886:Lodging
799:History
1003:Nearby
845:People
287:3 July
77:failed
1037:Lyons
724:water
457:Peaks
222:(PDF)
75:that
289:2018
994:RTD
137:at
67:in
65:dam
1120::
280:.
189:^
71:,
345:e
338:t
331:v
291:.
265:.
251:.
56:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
