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Flood wall
A flood wall, also known as a levee or dike, is a natural or man-made flood-control structure usually consisting of a wall or mound of earth (sometimes rock or stone) running generally parallel to a river or other drainage channel, or along ocean frontage. Flood walls help to contain floods within the channel by raising the height of the riverbank, thereby allowing the channel to hold a greater volume of water before flooding begins. Flood walls are also used to protect low-lying land near the ocean that has been reclaimed by pumping and dredging and developed, as in the coastal areas of Louisiana (United States) or the Netherlands.
Added: Tue Jun 24 2008
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