Barrages
Barrages intercept the watercourse in a specific area. There can be two different types of barrages which differ according to their dimensions: dams or weirs.
Dams
Dams are high works that, as well as intercepting the watercourse, create a tank that is useful to regulate the flow rate. They can be hundreds of metres high. Dams can be made of concrete or melted materials.
Weirs
Weirs are modest height works that usually retain the high water within the river bed. Their maximum height is ten metres. They can be fixed or mobile, according to the bed configuration, the maximum flow rate and the need to avoid, during floods, excessive overflowing which would be dangerous in the area above the weir. Fixed weirs are made of masonry or reinforced concrete and are bound to be overcome by water during floods or flow rates that are higher than what the plant can bear. This is why they are usually shaped to avoid erosion. Mobile weirs have a fixed part, made of masonry or reinforced concrete, and a mobile part (called bulkhead) usually made of steel.
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