Dikes and Levees have existed in human civilization from ancient times. These structures natural or manmade, hold water back from adjoining land especially in low lying areas (below water level).
Levees are designed to hold back excess water running into and flooding otherwise dry land. Dikes on the other hand, are embankments designed to hold back water at all times.
‘God created the world, but the Dutch created Holland’ is a saying popular in the Netherlands for more than a 1000 years. Dikes, canals, dams and windmills protect the low lying Netherlands from being overrun with floods from rivers and the North Sea.
Levees are designed to hold back excess water running into and flooding otherwise dry land. Dikes on the other hand, are embankments designed to hold back water at all times.
‘God created the world, but the Dutch created Holland’ is a saying popular in the Netherlands for more than a 1000 years. Dikes, canals, dams and windmills protect the low lying Netherlands from being overrun with floods from rivers and the North Sea.
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| A dike in the Netherlands. Note the North Sea at a higher level on the left. |
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| A levee in hurricane prone Florida in Southern USA. Photo: NPS |
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