Flap Gate Design for Automatic Upstream Canal Water Level Control

The EXCEL design procedure for a simple hydraulic flap gate for automatic upstream canal water level control is provided. Basic configurations were developed in The Netherlands in the 1920s and have recently been used in Indonesia, the Dominican Republic, and Nigeria. Four irrigation districts in the San Joaquin Valley of California have constructed and installed over 60 properly functioning flap gates. The gates can be installed within 2 h, but require free discharge conditions and in practice are limited to controlling water depths of about 1 m or less.