Patent ID: 6394698
Filing Date: 2002-05-28
Classification: E02B

Abstract:
An arrangement to minimize the deposit of silt or sand in a lateral branch or enlargement of a brackish fairway which is characterized by changing salt concentrations or suspended sediment concentrations as a result of tidal flows, said arrangement comprising:an S-shaped deflection sill having at least a portion conformed to divert a near-bed current of said fairway toward the center and away from an entrance to said branch or enlargement without causing substantial turbulence upon the occurrence of a flood tide, said deflection sill being configured to be submerged along a bank of said fairway with at least a portion thereof at a predetermined depth at the level of said current, said deflection sill located downstream of and adjacent to the entrance of said branch or enlargement and projecting obliquely from said bank into said fairway in the direction of said flood; and a current deflection wall conformed to channel a tidal current of said fairway into said branch or enlargement upon the occurrence of a flood tide to aid in filling said branch or enlargement to create a current counter to an in flowing near-bed current near the bottom at said entrance to said branch or enlargement generated by said flood tide, said current deflection wall being configured to be juxtaposed to overlap with said deflection sill in said fairway and be at least partially downstream of the entrance to said bank or enlargement and situated a predetermined distance from said bank thereby forming an inlet opening lying downstream of said entrance and an outlet opening lying essentially in said branch or enlargement with at least a portion of said current deflection wall being configured to be disposed at a higher elevation than said portion of said deflection sill configured to divert said near-bed current of said fairway toward the center of said fairway.