The Lower Course Of The River

Firstly, i'm going to talk about Floodplains which i came across to first.






Floodplains generally are a flat or near flat area of land adjacent river which experiences occasional or periodic flooding. The soil consists of alluvium which is deposited every time the river floods and overflows it's banks. The land tends to be slightly higher along the edges of the river where a levee forms. The floodplain also includes floodway, consisting of the river channels and adjacent areas that carry flood flows. The flood fringe, also included in the floodplain which are areas covered by the flood, but which do not experience a strong current.

Levees, are raised banks of alluvium along the edges of an old river. When a river floods its banks, the water spreads out and rapidly loses its load carrying ability. Deposition occurs close to the banks, increases their height. When not flooding, sediment is deposited on the river bed. After a period of time the river and its levees stand above the general level of the surrounding flood plain. Levees also have other names like levée, dike, dyke, embankment, floodbank or stopbank. They can be a natural or a artificial wall to regulate water levels.