How Engineers Stop Floods: High-Tech Solutions for Flood Control

Completed in about 1960, the Hagestein Weir is one of three movable weirs, or dams, along the Rhine River in the Netherlands. The Hagestein Weir has two enormous arch gates to control water and generate power on the Lek River near the village of Hagestein. Spanning 54 meters, the hinged gates are connected to concrete abutments. The gates are stored in the up position. They rotate down to close the channel.

Dams and water barriers like Hagestein Weir have become models for water control engineers around the world.

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