noun
- channels or passages designed to carry floodwater away from populated areas
Usage: engineering; urban planning
Examples
- The city constructed new floodways to protect downtown from river overflow.
- Engineers designed the floodways to handle a hundred-year flood.
- The floodways successfully diverted water during the spring thaw.
- Maintenance crews regularly inspect the floodways for debris.
- The floodways reduced property damage by millions of dollars.
- Urban planners incorporated floodways into the new development.