A Water Utility Dilemma: To Be Insured or Self‐Insure…

On Jun. 5, 1976, a 4.5-m (15-ft) high wall of water burst through the 90-m (305-ft) high, 7 X 106-m3 (10 million-cu yd), earth-fill Teton Dam, cascading 4 X 108 m3 (300 000 acre-ft) of water onto the flat land of southeast Idaho. The flood left ten dead, 2000 injured, more than 1000 homes and businesses destroyed, and damages estimated in excess of $1 billion. The failure also caused water utilities throughout the country to examine dam inspection programs and to review insur-