Levee
A levee is a natural or artificial wall that blocks water from going where we don’t want it to go. Levees may be used to increase available land for habitation or divert a body of water so the fertile soil of a river or sea bed may be used for agriculture. They prevent rivers from flooding cities in a storm surge. But if a levee breaks, the consequences can be disastrous.
A levee is a natural or artificial wall that blocks water from going where we don’t want it to go. Levees may be used to increase available land for habitation or divert a body of water so the fertile soil of a river or sea bed may be used for agriculture. They prevent rivers from flooding cities in a storm surge. But if a levee breaks, the consequences can be disastrous.
How Levees have affected Flooding:
Artificial levees need to be protected. They have to stand up to erosion, or wearing away, by the nearby water. Sometimes, trees and plants like Bermuda grass are planted near levees to anchor the soil. Engineers need to maintain levees with structural work to reinforce the boundaries. In emergencies, temporary levees can be made of sandbags. These soak up the water and usually prevent excess water from seeping past the sand.
Levees prevent flooding. But they also create a new problem: levees squeeze the flow of the river. All the river’s power is flowing through a smaller space. Water levels are higher and water flows faster. This puts more pressure on levees downstream and makes the water more difficult to control. If levees break, it also makes containing the flood more difficult.