REVERSE-FLOW ROMAN AQUEDUCTS

Roman aqueducts supply water to cities.  Imagine this:  In low land territories, they draw up flooding water instead, preventing flood-damage and loss of life.

How could reverse-flow Roman Aqueducts help fight flooding water in modern times?  Pretty obvious, isn’t it?

Engineered by the Romans, these structures facilitated cities with water supplies, bringing water from mountaintops to the low lands below.  We envision new possibility of the structures for flood control application.  By designing for reverse flow, the Roman Aqueduct can assist in flood control, which will save lives and property in existing low land settlements, both urban and rural alike.  Using renewable energy source, the goal is to have floodwater drawn up the shaft and evacuated by gravity on the elevated structures instead of building dikes around low land as current wisdom dictates.

Additionally, complex structures of this kind could accommodate other functions such as elevated express ways or train ways for transportation purposes as a by-product, benefiting communities that they travel through.

Based on city terrain, flood data, existing drainage facilities, rivers, canals and other waterways of a city such as Bangkok, or other low land settlements, prototype structures can be designed. Vertical members will function as risers drawing flood water up the shaft and evacuated through the horizontal run to remove the flood problems.  The Study will determine method, energy efficiencies, sizing and frequency of risers, horizontal run, and how water is disposed.  Solar, wind, and other types of inexpensive energy sources to force floodwater up the shaft will be explored.  It is conceivable that through clever design the elevated horizontal runs could serve as elevated transportations systems that can blend into urban spaces and current architectural  structures.

Photo's from American Heritage, Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary