There are also a large number of isolated waterways in the boundary
regions of the European continent connected with the sea, especially in
Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Finland (see also UK above).
From the four above-mentioned European waterway groups, satisfac-
tory navigation interconnection exists only between the French and the
Central European waterways. The generation of an integrated network of
European waterways necessitates primarily the link between the South and
Central European waterways by means of two canal systems: the
Rhine–Main–Danube canal, completed in 1992, and the Danube–Oder–Labe
(Elbe) canal, the phased construction of which has already started. Of con-
siderable importance also would be the connection with the East European
waterways by means of the planned Oder–Vistula–Bug–Dniepr canal.
(c) US waterways
There is an important network of navigable rivers and canals, particularly
in the central and eastern United States. Some of the most important
waterways are shown schematically in Fig. 11.3 including the following:
open river navigation on the Middle and Lower Mississippi from St Louis
to the Gulf of Mexico, and on the Missouri River from Sioux City in Iowa
downstream; major canalized rivers such as the Upper Mississippi, Ohio,
Tennessee, Lower Columbia, and Arkansas Rivers and canals, e.g. the
Chain of Rocks Canal on the Mississippi, the Arkansas Post Canal and the
Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway (opened in 1955) with a watershed
section 65 km long (including the Bay Springs Lock – Fig. 11.13) and a
canal section 70 km long, with 91 m bottom width, 3.65 m deep, with five
locks and a total lift of 43 m.
11.3 Multipurpose utilization of waterways
Modern waterways practically always fulfil also other functions apart from
inland navigation. The most common case is the utilization of water power
in plants built next to navigation locks. Other uses of waterways are flood
protection on trained rivers, provision of off-take facilities for water supply,
drainage of adjacent land, waste water disposal, etc. The provision of recre-
ational facilities and general improvement of the environment are some of
the most important additional benefits provided by inland waterways.
Multipurpose use of waterways brings about also additional prob-
lems, none more so than the peak operation of power plants causing
surges on canals and canalized rivers. The most serious are surges caused
by sudden load rejection. In order not to affect navigation unfavourably,
the effect of power plant operation must in the majority of cases be
reduced by suitable measures (Cˇábelka and Gabriel, 1985).
466 INLAND WATERWAYS
