Dolgarrog Dam Disaster
On 2 November 1925, high in the mountains above Dolgarrog, the Eigiau Dam failed.
After days of heavy rain the concrete wall of the dam was breached and water rushed down into the earth banked Coedty Reservoir below.
Overtopped at first, the reservoir’s wall soon burst and millions of gallons of water cascaded down the valley onto the village of Dolgarrog below – killing sixteen people.
A verdict of accidental death “caused by the bursting of the dam under the wall in consequence of the wall lacking a proper foundation” was recorded which, intern, led Parliament to introduce new laws on the safety of reservoirs.
A memorial woodland walk now marks the disaster and many of the boulders washed down the valley by the force of the water can still be seen – some weighing several hundred tonnes!
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All images © W N BISHOP