Complex sentence: The Senne had always been a river with a fickle flow, often overflowing its banks.42 In times of heavy rainfall, even the sluice gates were powerless to regulate the flow of the river, swollen by numerous creeks flowing down from higher ground.
Split into simpler sentences: The Senne had always been a river with a fickle flow, often overflowing its banks. Demey 42 In times of heavy rainfall, even the sluice gates were powerless to regulate the flow of the river, swollen by numerous creeks flowing down from higher ground.