spillway

[spil-wey] /ˈspɪlˌweɪ/
noun
1.
a passageway through which surplus water escapes from a reservoir, lake, or the like.
Origin
1885-90; spill1 + way1
Examples from the web for spillway
  • During that period, the hydro power was turned down causing excess water to go over the spillway.
  • In the video, several people are cruising in a small motorboat below the spillway of a lock or a dam while fish fly all around.
  • Water that goes over a spillway as opposed to through a turbine picks up bubbles of nitrogen gas from the atmosphere.
  • The spillway is designed to provide a safe path for the excess flows.
  • Then, water from the spillway re-enters downstream of the dam.
British Dictionary definitions for spillway

spillway

/ˈspɪlˌweɪ/
noun
1.
a channel that carries away surplus water, as from a dam Also called wasteweir, spill
Word Origin and History for spillway
n.

1889, from spill + way.

Encyclopedia Article for spillway

passage for surplus water over or around a dam when the reservoir itself is full. Spillways are particularly important safety features for earth dams, protecting the dam and its foundation from erosion. They may lead over the dam or a portion of it or along a channel around the dam or a conduit through it.

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