By 1909, the company realized that occasional dry seasons required a more reliable water source.

The bowing was alleviated by using dynamite to blast a 13-foot (4.0 m) space for the excess water to spill over.

Part of the structure slid down about 50 feet (15 m), while another opened like a door, allowing the impounded water to flow freely down the narrow valley.

Due to the slope of the valley, the east side of the town received more damage.

[4] Around 3,000 people were in Austin that day, and the catastrophic failure of the dam resulted in the deaths of 78 of them,[4] and roughly $10 million in property damage.