Levee Levee A levee (), dike, dyke, embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels. It is usually earthen and often parallel to the course of a river in its floodplain or along low-lying coastlines. Speakers of American English (notably in the Midwest and Deep South), use the word "levee", from the French word "levée" (from the feminine past participle of the French verb "lever", "to raise"). It originated in New Orleans a few years after the city's founding in 1718 and was later adopted by English speakers. The
Perennial water specifically include those that only are perennial except in years of severe or unusual drought. Perennial standing (lentic) water is usually called a lake or a pond, but there are several local or dialect English words for such features. Examples include mere, tarn, loch or fen. Each has a special meaning, though modern usage tends to be loose. Vlei is a foreign example that may or may not mean a perennial body of water, but more often than not refers to a seasonal pond. Perennial water Perennial water body usually refers to mainly liquid fresh water, as opposed to sea