On Wed, May 14, 2008 at 8:56 AM, Lester Caine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Karl Newman wrote: > > Both are created by man. A canal is normally navigable and a drain > > is not. A > > canal is for carrying goods and people, a drain is for transporting > > water > > much like a river but the drain has been dug by man rather than > nature. > > Drains can be anything from quite narrow watercourses to very large > > constructions depending on how much water they carry. > > > > Wow, that's not obvious to the casual (non-UK) observer. In the US, the > > usage of "canal" is different. They're almost never navigable, and even > > small drainage ditches are commonly called "canals". Almost no-one here > > would call any kind of waterway a "drain". Definitely clarify that on > > the Wiki. > > In the US am I right in thinking that storm water drains may only have > actual > water in them under flood conditions. From what I remember of car chases in > films ;) > > -- > Lester Caine - G8HFL > In certain cases, yes. It depends on the season and the location. In a drainage canal near my house (would be called a stream if it were natural), the water stops flowing in summer, but there are generally pools in certain areas that hold water year round. Some drainage ditches are concrete, but most aren't--they're just cuts in the earth; sometimes they're elevated above the surrounding terrain with berms on either side (these are more commonly used for irrigation, not so much for drainage). Generally only certain large cities have the big concrete canals suitable for car chases. ;-) Karl
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