A channel or passage designed to direct flood water safely away from buildings and populated areas.
From 'flood' (Old English 'flod', overflowing water) + 'way' (Old English 'weg', path or passage). The term describes a purposefully engineered path for water movement.
Modern floodways in cities are engineering marvels—New Orleans' Carondelet Canal was one of history's first, and today cities worldwide design them to prevent billions in damage while looking like innocent-looking ditches.
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