Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Cabanatuan City

FLOOD GATES

PELAYO, HAROLD S.

SALONGA, CEDRIC P.

PCS 2: FLOOD CONTROL AND DRAINAGE ENGINEERING

Engr. Derick Aldrin L. Esteban

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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabanatuan City

FLOODGATES

Floodgates, also called stop gates, are adjustable gates used to control water flow in flood

barriers, reservoir, river, stream, or levee systems. They may be designed to set spillway crest

heights in dams, to adjust flow rates in sluices and canals, or they may be designed to stop water

flow entirely as part of a levee or storm surge system. Since most of these devices operate by

controlling the water surface elevation being stored or routed, they are also known as crest gates.

In the case of flood bypass systems, floodgates sometimes are also used to lower the water levels

in a main river or canal channels by allowing more water to flow into a flood bypass or detention

basin when the main river or canal is approaching a flood stage.

Sluice gates- A sluice gate is a mechanism used to control water flow. These devices are often

used in water treatment plants, mining, dams, rice fields, and cranberry bogs, among other

places. The gates are typically made of wood or metal, and often slide vertically on a frame to

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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabanatuan City

open or close, allowing water to flow out of a space or to be contained in it. For this reason, they

are also known as a sluice gate valve.

Flap gates -Hydro Gate flap gates are made of cast iron, stainless steel, aluminum, or rubber

depending on the type of service. A small differential pressure on the back of the gate causes it

to open automatically to allow discharge through levees, sewer lines or drainage conduits. When

water on the face side of the gate rises above water on the back side, the gate closes automatically

to prevent backflow. Flap gates are equipped with flat-back seats for attaching to wall thimbles,

headwalls, and existing pipe flanges. The seat or frame of the flap gate is attached to a wall or

pipe flange and forms the opening through which water passes.

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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabanatuan City

Flex valves have replaced a number of flap gates and sluice gates. Flex valves do not require

manual operation and are more dependable than flap gates. Rubber valves, mounted on the end

of the storm outfall pipe, flex open to allow water from the pipes but close under the pressure

of the water against the outside of the valve.

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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabanatuan City

FLOODGATES AND RETENTION STRUCTURES: CHOOSING THE RIGHT DESIGN

There are two simple ways to improve drain water quality and reduce acid water flowing into

rivers. You can open floodgates and let river water into the drain, or you can retain very acid

water to prevent it from flowing into the river. This leaflet describes the main designs for

floodgate opening devices and retention structures, and outlines their advantages and

disadvantages.

TYPES OF FLOODGATE OPENING DEVICES

1. Tidal floodgates

Various designs exist. They usually consist of an aperture within the existing floodgate with

another smaller floodgate attached. A floating arm opens the gate and allows water exchange

with each tide. The gate opens on the low tide and closes with the rising tide.

❖ Water level control: Control is very good as the float arm can be adjusted to stop inflow

at the desired water level.

❖ Advantages: Automatic operation of the gate by the tide. Excellent water level control.

The amount of exchange and maximum height of tidal influence on the inside water level

can be adjusted. This design is flood secure and automatically closes as outside water

level rises.

❖ Disadvantages: There is a minor risk of being jammed open (as with normal gates). May

require a new gate to be made in some cases.

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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabanatuan City

2. Sluice gates

Sluice gates consist of an aperture within existing floodgate with a sliding plate cover that

can be opened to varying degrees. This opening can be vertical, horizontal or rotational in

design.

❖ Water level control: The aperture size can be adjusted to vary the amount of inflow

to suit site conditions so water level control is good. The position of the aperture in

the floodgate can also be varied and will affect water level control.

❖ Advantages: The variable aperture size means sluice gates provide excellent water

level control. The simple design is low cost and low maintenance.

❖ Disadvantages: Requires manual operation and manual closure in floods.

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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabanatuan City

3. Winch gates

Various designs exist including, a) winch and cable mechanism which allows the existing

floodgate to be lifted open either horizontally or vertically and b) a worm drive mechanism that

opens the gates vertically.

❖ Water level control: Depends on the design. Horizontal winch gates have limited water

level control and are either fully open or closed. Vertical lift gates have good water level

control and can be set in any position, from fully closed to fully open.

❖ Advantages: Winch gates can allow large, rapid inflows of river water and can be fully

raised to assist outflow after flooding.

❖ Disadvantages: These gates require intensive manual operation and manual closure in

the event of flooding. Horizontal winch gates have a greater risk of causing overtopping

when open. Large forces can be involved in winch and cable system. Vertical winch gates

can experience closing difficulties due to friction.

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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabanatuan City

TYPES OF RETENTION STRUCTURES

1. Weirs / fixed sill

Weirs and fixed sills consist of a partial block in the drain. A variety of designs exist and many

materials can be used (i.e. sandbags, rock/fill, concrete, steel).

❖ Advantages: Weirs and sills provide an ability to retain a guaranteed minimum water

level. There is potential to vary the depth of water retention depending on the design (i.e.

to retain only groundwater or to retain shallow surface water). These structures are

generally low maintenance and low cost, depending on materials.

❖ Disadvantages: It may be difficult to vary the minimum water level once installed,

depending upon the design. They can be difficult to remove from drain, again depending

on design and materials.

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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabanatuan City

2. Penstocks

These are a sluice gate or vertical lift gate placed on the landward side of a culvert.

❖ Advantages: Penstocks provide a good seal, good water level control and rarely fail. They

are low maintenance if made from stainless steel.

❖ Disadvantages: They can be expensive. They are manually operated and can jam open

during outflow periods if they are the vertical winch type design. A screw thread design

prevents this.

3. Dropboard culverts

This simple design consists of boards placed in slots in front of any culvert on the landward

side.

❖ Advantages: Water level depth can be adjusted to a desired level. Low cost.

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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabanatuan City

❖ Disadvantages: They are manually operated and the boards can be difficult to remove

under a significant head of water. They are suitable only for low volume drains. They

often have some leakage between the boards.

Choosing the right design

The type of floodgate opening device or retention structure you choose depends on your

drainage system and management objectives. All stakeholders in the system need to be

consulted before doing any works. Remember that retention structures will impede fish moving

upstream, so these should only be used where there is significant benefit - such as reducing acid

water flowing into the river.

It is important to match any works with the characteristics of the drainage system, so it

is essential to conduct a thorough site assessment. This will help to determine what style of

management the drainage system is best suited to. Various state and local government

organisations have expertise in this kind of assessment and can be contacted for assistance.

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