Water-Gate: Flood Barriers, Instant Dams, and Oil & Chemical Spill Barriers

 

Water-Gate barriers come in sectional units and can be configured in many ways. Click on the products at the bottom of this page for details. Call us to discuss your needs and order (1-800-318-4159).

• WaterGate Barriers for Creeks, Stream, Culverts, etc. See model WA
• WaterGate Barriers for Flood Control of flat surfaces, pavements, grass, etc. See model WL
• WaterGate Barriers for Oil Spill Contol See model WT
• WaterGate Barriers for Entrance Doorways, Subway Stairs, Garage Doors, etc. See data sheet.

Water-Gate, by MegaSecur, is a flexible, self-deploying, portable dam that can be set up quickly and easily by a single person. Perfect for controlling floodwater, temporarily damming a stream, containing municipal pipe leaks, or stopping oil and chemical spills, Water-Gate is light enough to carry, yet extremely durable and designed to be reused often. A single Water-Gate barrier can replace up to 770 sandbags.

Ideal for commercial, municipal, and large residential applications, Water-Gate barriers can be extended by connecting multiple units together, with virtually no limit. Water-Gate is flexible, allowing you to bend the dam into the shape you need, for instance to protect a building, follow the contour of a riverbank, or stretch across a streambed.

Deployment is simple: A single Water-Gate can be unrolled by one person in just minutes. As water collects inside the barrier, the water’s weight holds the bottom membrane in place and its pressure pushes the top membrane open, automatically preventing water from flowing past the barrier.

After the flood event is over, you can clean, dry, and roll up your Water-Gate so that it is ready to be deployed again. Water-Gate is easy to set up and take down, especially when compared to the weight, lengthy deployment time, and cleanup hassle associated with traditional sandbags.

Water-Gate has won numerous awards internationally, including a Gold Medal from the IDSA (Industrial Society of America), the Grand Prize from the Institute of Design Montreal, and the Civil Protection Prize award from the fire and rescue services of the city of Geneva.

After testing Water-Gate, the Ministry of the Environment of Quebec officially recommended it for use in aquatic infrastructure projects. This recommendation can be found in the "Environmental Guide in-water work in sanitation and infrastructure projects" on the Ministry’s website.

The United States Government, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Forest Service all use and support the Water-Gate line of products due to their reliability and usefulness. Many firefighters around the world consider Water-Gate an indispensible weapon in their firefighting arsenals, allowing them to create instant water reservoirs from streams, far away from other sources of water.

Water-Gate has been used extensively in the corporate and municipal sectors worldwide, by organizations such as Nestle, Exxon Mobil, National Grid, the Government of Mexico, and Battery Park City in New York, NY.

How Water-Gate Works: Water holding back water

• Unroll the Water-Gate barrier along the ground in your desired location and secure the front bib.
• As water fills the Water-Gate, the water’s weight secures the bottom of the barrier to the ground and its pressure pushes forward and upward against the barrier’s pocket, pushing it open and automatically activating the dam.
• Water-Gate’s dimensions make it exceptionally stable. The bottom surface of the barrier is 4 times greater than its water retention height (see diagram below). Consequently, the water’s downward force against the bottom of the barrier greatly exceeds its horizontal force against the barrier’s unfolded wall. By harnessing the water’s weight in this proportion, the dam adheres to the ground, remaining stable.
• When the water recedes, the barrier automatically closes. It can then be cleaned, dried, rolled up, and stored – ready for many years of re-deployment.

Videos: Water-Gate Dams in Action

Water-Gate Features

• Fast, easy installation: Simply unroll the barrier and secure its front bib with rocks or ballast. A single barrier can be unrolled by one person in just minutes, allowing for last-minute emergency protection.
• Rapid deployment: Water pressure opens the dam automatically.
• Versatility: Useful in a wide variety of situations and conditions, including in cold winter weather. Barrier can activate from a weak trickle or rapid flow of water.
• Extendable: Many barriers can be attached together to cover very large areas.
• Minimal equipment needed: Does not require manual inflation. Lightweight design minimizes transportation logistics and manpower needs.
• Rapid removal: Lift up one end (bottom bib front part) and let water flow under, or let barrier close automatically as water recedes. Significantly easier than lifting, removing, and disposing of heavy sandbags.
• Flexible: Barrier contours to the shape of the ground, flexing to accommodate obstacles such as rocks, curbs, or uneven terrain. Dam can bend, incorporating curves to follow the bank of a river or turn corners around a building.
• Reusable: Water-Gate barriers are designed to be used over and over, for many years. After deployment, they can be cleaned with a pressure washer, dried, and stored.
• Easy to store: Barrier rolls up into a compact bundle, allowing for easy stacking and storage.
• Ready to use: Water-Gate is ready to be deployed, right out of the box.
• Several barrier heights available: Water-Gate comes in a variety of heights. See specifics on product pages below.
• Easy maintenance and repair: No lengthy maintenance procedures. Simply clean, dry, and roll up the barrier for storage. In the unusual case of a rip, the barrier can be repaired easily. It can even be patched while still in the water, since the water’s pressure seals the patch.
• Environmentally friendly: Can be installed on the ground or in water without harming the environment.

Types of Water-Gate Barriers

For specifications, click on products at the bottom of this page.

WL Barriers – Commercial & Municipal Flood Control

• Protect buildings, doorways, tunnels, streets, etc from flooding.
• Guard against river and stream overflows or water main breaks.
• Redirect or channel floodwater to a safe location.
• Prepare first responders for quick deployment in frequently-flooded areas.
• Install on a wide variety of surfaces (grass, dirt, gravel, asphalt, etc).
• Cover large areas, like entire neighborhoods, by connecting many Water-Gate barriers together.
• Available in heights from 6 inches to 60 inches and lengths from 30 to 50 feet. Can be connected together to form longer barriers.

Main characteristics of the WL water barrier:

• A - Polyester fabric coated with ultra robust and abrasion resistant PVC for installations on all types of surfaces.
• B - Stretched partitions providing better adherence on smooth surfaces.
• C - Polypropylene straps to raise the barrier's extremeties for particular installations.
• D - Polyester net ballasting filled with galvanized steel plates sewn to the barrier.
• E - Resistant polypropylene straps for easy handling.

 

WA Barriers – Instant Dam for Water Flow

• Quickly dam or channel a stream.
• Create instant water reservoirs for firefighting or irrigation.
• Erect a cofferdam in order to perform excavation, installation, or other aquatic construction work.
• Available in heights from 15 inches to 60 inches and lengths from 25 to 50 feet. Can be connected together to form longer barriers.

Main characteristics of the WA water barrier:

• A - Polyester fabric coated with ultra robust PVC for installations in water currents with uneven and unknown bottoms.
• B - Compact partitions allowing a free flap for pumping water and secure access for crossing.
• C - Metal rings or polypropylene straps to facilitate certain installations in water.
• D - Anti-mining flap to avoid soil erosion if water passes over the water barrier.
• E - Resistant polypropylene straps for easy handling.

 

Water-Plug – Manhole Overflow Containment

• Contain water overflowing from manholes or storm sewer drains.
• Prepare ahead of time for potential overflows. Once positioned on top of a manhole, Water-Plug deploys automatically as water rises into it.
• Equip first responders to forestall flooding from storm drains, while awaiting further resources.
• Height and other dimensions available in the table below (cutout hole shown in photo is only for illustrative purposes; actual product does not have a hole).

Door Entrance Barrier – WL-0617Water-Gate: Flood Barriers, Instant Dams, and Oil & Chemical Spill Barriers

• 6” high x 17 feet long, model WL0617 @ $805.00
• Protect residential and commercial doorways from flooding.
• Contact us for additional barrier heights and to order.

 

Water-Gate Oil and Chemical Spill Barrier

For information see our page on Spill Containment Barriers.

Accessories and Customization

Customization

• Custom barriers can be made upon request, for example incorporating openings in the barrier to let some water flow through.
• Call us at 800-318-4159 to discuss your particular customization needs.

Accessories

A number of accessories are available, allowing Water-Gate to be adapted to specific applications. The most common are shown below. Call us for more information and pricing on these and other accessories.

Diverters / Spillways / Weirs: For applications in which overflow diversion or relief is necessary. Made from extremely strong polyethylene, these spillways can be fitted to the top of a Water-Gate barrier to direct excess water to flow downstream or to a safe location.

Stakes: Designed to hold the ends of a Water-Gate barrier in place, while installed on a steep slope or wall, these stakes are coated with a corrosion-resistant material.

Ballasting Bags: The bags distribute uniform weight along the barrier’s length, helping it contour to the terrain. One roll of ballasting bags is 10 feet long and weighs 30 pounds.

Pumps and Hoses: A variety of commercial grade pumps and hoses are available to remove and redirect water during flood control, aquatic construction work, and other applications.

Crates for Quick Deployment and Storage of Flood Barriers: Water-Gate WL Flood Barriers can be folded, accordion style, in custom deployment crates, allowing for very fast deployment. Long barriers can be deployed surprisingly fast using a vehicle (hundreds of feet of barrier in under 10 minutes). The crates also provide a convenient, dedicated storage location for the barriers. A variety of sizes are available.

 

Photos of Water-Gate in Use

Flood Control

 

Dams: Water Reservoirs, Cofferdams for Aquatic Work, etc.

 

Manhole, Storm Drain Overflow Control

 

Oil and Chemical Spill Control

See Spill Containment Barrier page for photos.

High Quality Design & Construction

• North American design and manufacturing: Water-Gate products are designed and manufactured in Quebec, Canada by MegaSecur Sécurité Environnementale Inc.
• Durability: Water-Gate commercial barriers (WA series, WL series, and Water-Plug) are made of a durable polyester fabric coated with ultra-robust PVC. They are abrasion resistant and designed to be reused over and over on a wide variety of surfaces, even in winter. Water-Gate residential/occasional-use barriers (WP series) are made from very resistant polyethylene fabric.
• Thorough inspection process: To ensure the highest standards of quality, each barrier is carefully inspected before shipping and inscribed with a unique serial number.
• Low maintenance requirements: Just clean, dry, and properly store the barrier after each use.
• Easy to store: Barriers roll into small bundles for easy stacking. Once rolled up, each barrier requires only a small amount of storage space.
• Environmental focus: Water-Gate barriers were developed in collaboration with environmental authorities and designed to not disrupt natural aquatic habitats.

Products: Examples of the 4 main types of Water-Gate water barriers are shown below. They come in sectional units, in a variety of sizes, and can be configured in many ways. Click on products for specifications.

Call us for pricing, to discuss your needs, and to order 1-800-318-4159.

Note: Due to shipping weight and size, shipping charges apply to all Water-Gate products.