Levee

:This article is about the type of dam. See also Levee (event)

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A levee, levée (from the feminine past participle of the French verb lever, "to raise"), floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial embankment or dike, usually earthen, which parallels the course of a river. The word levee seems to have come into English through its use in colonial Louisiana.

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The main purpose of artificial levees is to prevent flooding of the adjoining countryside; however, they also confine the flow of the river resulting in higher and faster water flow.

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Levees are usually built by piling earth on a cleared, level surface. Broad at the base, they taper to a level top, where temporarily embankments or sandbags can be placed. Because flood discharge intensity increases in levees on both river banks, and because silt deposits raise the level of riverbeds, planning and auxiliary measures are vital. Sections are often set back from the river to form a wider channel, and flood valley basins are divided by multiple levees to prevent a single breach from flooding a large area.

French: French can refer to more than one article:...

Verb: A verb is a part of speech that usually denotes action ("bring", "read"), occurrence ("decompose", "glitter"), or a state of being ("exist", "stand"). Depending on the language, a verb may vary in form according to many factors, possibly including its tense, aspect, mood and voice. It may also agree...

Embankment: Embankment can be:...

Levee related Images and Photos (experimental)

The Levee of Voltaire at Ferney after 1759

King of Dahomey's Levee Plate 1'The History of Dahomey' by A. Dalzel Engraved Francis Chesham

GLEEK SNEAK 3D Movie Tickets: Newport on the Levee 20 - Newport, KY