New Orleans Reconstruction Focuses Attention on Flood Gates

March 28, 2006

One of the least-recognized elements in flood protection is the role of the flood gates that can be opened or closed as needed to keep water out of the places it isn't wanted. While the technology of wedging gates (usually called sluice gates) has been around for centuries, until very recently, most of these gates were constructed from cast iron. The problem with cast iron is that it tends to seize up over time, so cast iron gates have to be "exercised" regularly to keep them from freezing in place. In recent years, stainless steel sluice gates have emerged as an economical and reliable alternative. Their design avoids the metal-to-metal contact that caused cast iron gates to freeze up. The industry designation has changed, and today sluice gates are technically known as wedging slide gates.

Related products: sluice gates, wedging slide gates

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last revised 3.2006