We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
History

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is an Aqueduct?

By Phil Shepley
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 35,411
Share

An aqueduct is an artificial channel through which water is transferred from one place to another. Aqueducts can be made of many different types of materials, such as brick, concrete, metal or wood, and constructed in a variety of ways, for instance as tunnels, canals or bridges. An aqueduct can transport a small amount of water as well as a large enough amount that watercraft can even be transported through it, and the water can be moved through the use of pumps or simply by gravity.

The main use of the aqueduct is to transport clean water to a large population of people, in a city for example, but they are also used to irrigate crops where little or no water naturally occurs. Still another use of the aqueduct is for transportation since they can allow large barges to pass over difficult terrain such as valleys and ravines. There are also side benefits to the use of aqueducts, for example they can help control flooding.

It is unknown when or where the first aqueducts were built, but many still remain from ancient times. Most notably in the city of Rome, some aqueducts still stand and the ones that were once in operation were used to transport millions of gallons of water throughout Roman colonies each day. Other ancient cities that utilized the aqueduct were Jerusalem and Athens. In the latter city, there was an aqueduct that was a tunnel and was 4200 feet long and bored by hand. In more recent history, London built its first aqueduct in 1609 – a 38-mile long river that brought water to the growing population of the city.

Aqueducts are still in use today, but most are constructed of pipes and other materials. In New York City in 1842, the Croton Aqueduct used iron pipes to carry water across the Harlem River over a viaduct. Other similar large aqueducts followed in various cities throughout the world, especially around Britain. One modern aqueduct of note is the Colorado Aqueduct in southern California that carries water across the desert from the Colorado River. Another aqueduct in California is actually 685 miles long. Many large scale aqueducts are now in operation and serve to transport water to the growing populations of people around the world.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Discussion Comments
By SpottedNewt — On Oct 30, 2014

It's fascinating to note that despite the fairly limited engineering tools available, the Romans averaged a two percent grade in all of their aqueducts. This allowed for a steady, constant flow of water with a small risk of water pooling and stagnating while in transit, or flooding the tunnels or receiving pipes.

Share
https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-aqueduct.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.