Check dam

A check dam is a small, sometimes temporary, dam constructed across a swale,

drainage ditch, or waterway to counteract erosion by reducing water flow velocity.
[1] Check dams themselves are not a type of new technology; rather, they are an
ancient technique dating all the way back to the second century A.D.[2] Check dams
are typically, though not always, implemented as a system of several check dams
situated at regular intervals across the area of interest.[3]

Function
A check dam placed in the ditch, swale, or channel interrupts the flow of water and
flattens the gradient of the channel, thereby reducing the velocity. In turn, this
obstruction induces infiltration rather than eroding the channel.[1] They can be
used not only to slow flow velocity but also to distribute flows across a swale to
avoid preferential paths and guide flows toward vegetation.[4] Although some
sedimentation may result behind the dam, check dams do not primarily function as
sediment trapping devices.[5]

Check dams could be designed to create small reservoirs, without possibility of

silting. A self desilting design was published in 'Invention Intelligence, August,
1987, which while being permanent, would also remove silt as it is formed, keeping
the reservoir capacity maximum. The design envisages an awning, going very near the
bottom level, extending to the width of the dam, and embedding into the sides. When
freshets occur, the silt is automatically carried over to down stream, keeping the
reservoir clear.