[OSM-talk] difference between waterway=canal and waterway=drain

[Karl Newman]

On Fri, May 16, 2008 at 8:50 AM, Alex Mauer <hawke at hawkesnest.net> wrote:

> Karl Newman wrote:
> > 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.
>
> I've never heard a non-navigable waterway referred to as a canal, here
> in the Midwest USA.  I've only what you're describing called a "drainage
> ditch" (as you said) or "irrigation ditch" depending on their intended
> purpose. "ditch" is IMO a reasonable combination of the two (since the
> intended purpose is generally not immediately obvious)
>
> -Alex Mauer "hawke"
>

If you do a search for "irrigation canal" or "drainage canal" you'll see
plenty of images that show the kinds of waterways I'm thinking of. Many
could be called a ditch, but canal is commonly used too (around here in
California anyway). Interestingly, Wikipedia refers to an aqueduct as a
specialized kind of canal for supplying water.

Karl
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