Dam Burst Near ASU Campus Floods River Bed

Foul play has been ruled out as the cause of a dam break that sent millions of gallons of water gushing from a man-made lake near Phoenix, authorities said Wednesday.

Tempe City Manager Charlie Meyer said police determined no criminal activity was involved in the failure of a 16-foot-high section of the inflated rubber dam at Tempe Town Lake.

"What we believe we have is a straight-line tear," which would indicate it happened along a seam line, Meyer said.

The dam near Arizona State University's campus broke open at about 10 p.m. Tuesday, sending water streaming into the normally dry Salt River.

Tempe Town Lake Dam Bursts, Flooding River Bed

"All of a sudden, we heard this ka-boom and the ground started shaking," said 13-year-old Lukas Henderson, who was biking on the north side of the lake with his sister and father.

Witnesses said the river filled as far as the eye could see within seconds, and small animals could be seen scrambling away from the floodwaters.

Warning sirens began wailing within minutes, and officers rushed along the river bed to warn anyone - particularly transients known to camp on the river bottom during the summer - of the approaching water.

There were no reports of any injuries, and authorities said no structures were in danger.

Mayor Hugh Hallman said the desert environment, with its blazing sun and 110-degree temperatures in the summers, combined with the cooler winters, likely led to the rubber dam's deterioration.

The lake will likely be closed until the fall as the city makes repairs while the lake is empty, he said.

Tempe spokeswoman Kris Baxter-Ging said workers were speeding up an effort already under way to replace the dam's bladders. The project had been delayed earlier this year by winter flooding, she said.

The lake, which can hold up to 1 billion gallons of water and was first filled in 1999, has four inflatable dam sections on each end. They were supposed to last for 25 to 30 years.

However, Tempe officials determined in 2007 that Arizona's harsh climate was taking a toll on the rubber dams and they might have to be replaced soon.

The city inspects the dams about once a month and repaired two tears in 2002.