(2018) The Drowning Machine, December 16, 2018. Public Health, Department of (Health and Human Services, Department of)
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dmachine.pdf File Size:2MB |
Abstract
“Drowning Machine” is the term used to describe the dangerous situation that is created when water flows over a low-head dam. As the stream of water flows over the dam it drops into the water below creating a backwash or a current. This recirculating current, which is also known as a “hydraulic,” can take an object (including a person) to the bottom of the stream. The current then brings the object back to the dam. Once at the face of the dam the object is forced back to the bottom from the water pouring down from above. This recirculation can hold in an object, even a boat, indefinitely and can be impossible for even an expert swimmer to escape.
| Item Type: | Departmental Report |
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| Keywords: | Death, Drowning, Rivers, Dams |
| Subjects: | Health and medicine > Public health Natural resources and environment Natural resources and environment > Water resources > Dams |
| ID Code: | 33759 |
| Deposited By: | Margaret Barr |
| Deposited On: | 18 Sep 2020 14:30 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Sep 2020 14:30 |
| URI: | https://publications.iowa.gov/id/eprint/33759 |