Are you thinking about taking the family out on a small boat or paddle craft for some summer fun?
If so, make sure to avoid low head dams! These things are great if you’re driving a car across them, but can be really dangerous to smaller boats and paddle craft. In this blog post, we’ll take an in-depth look at why these dams can be so hazardous. What are low head dams? Low-head dams (also called “non-overflow” or “run of the river” dams) have a very small height difference between the dam crest and water levels downstream. This means that they can impound backwaters such as ponds, lakes, bogs, marshes and other wetlands in an upstream area without releasing overflow waters to lower areas further downstream. Low head dams may be dangerous because: – If too much pressure builds up behind these structures from windy conditions or high rainfall rates, it could overtop the embankment wall with devastating consequences; – A larger boat might not always see one on the horizon due to its size; if you’re driving a car across them things
