Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Many people mistakenly believe locks and dams on the Ohio River help control floods such
as that of 1937. That is not the case at all. They are critically important but were built solely
for navigation purposes. Flood control—or, to be more accurate, flood damage reduc-
tion—is achieved by a combination of reservoirs, earth levees, and concrete floodwalls,
such as this one in Huntington, West Virginia. (Courtesy the Herald-Dispatch.)
While concrete floodwalls and earth levees are the most visible parts of what the corps calls
a “local protection project,” those systems also include powerful pumping stations located
directly over, or adjacent to, trunk sewers and creek beds. Here is a view of the Fourpole
Creek Pumping Station in Huntington, West Virginia. Note the concrete superstructure of
art deco design. (Courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.)
