Hayward Fault and Dam Failure

You might think that putting a reservoir over an active fault line was a bad idea. But at the time Anthony Chabot conceived of putting a dam on the creek here at a sag pond, no one knew it was a fault. Even an earthquake that occurred on the fault in October 1868, mid-dam construction, didn’t alert them, as no one at the time understood earthquake dynamics.

But if a massive earthquake does happen, experts disagree on whether or not a major flood, such as the one depicted in the second image, would occur. Let’s hope not!

Learn more about the debate on dam failure.