What is an artificial levee?

An artificial levee is a wall that is built to keep water from going into certain areas during a flood. Levees can be permanent or built in an emergency situation.

An artificial levee can be built from sand, rocks or soil if the current is not expected to be rough. An artificial levee for a stronger moving body of water is built from plastic, blocks of wood or metal. Concrete is used if the danger of flooding is higher than in other areas.

In an emergency flooding situation, an artificial levee can be constructed by piling sandbags where the water is rising fastest.