Teton Dam: The Failure and Future

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — It was a warning that felt impossible until it wasn’t.

Fifty years ago, a 305-foot-tall wall of earth and rock promised to bring irrigation, power, and progress to eastern Idaho. But on a quiet Saturday morning, that promise dissolved. In less than five hours, 80 billion gallons of fury were unleashed onto populated valley cities below.

On June 5, 1976, the Teton Dam disaster permanently reshaped our landscape, our laws, and our communities. It remains one of the most cataclysmic engineering failures in U.S. history.

Using rare footage from Local News 8’s original broadcasts, newly uncovered survivor testimonies, and modern forensic mapping, we reconstruct the day the Teton Dam fell—and the ripples still felt to this day across southeast Idaho.

Tune in tonight, Friday, June 5th, at 9:30 p.m. for Local News 8 on Fox and 10 p.m. on CBS for our special presentation "Teton Dam: The Failure and Future." Or watch on our CTV App. For more information, click HERE.

Minute By Minute - The Day the Dam Fell

On the morning of Saturday, June 5, 1976, the hidden internal erosion finally reached its tipping point, triggering an unstoppable countdown.

The following timeline shows how the day the dam fell played out minute by minute: