Proposal:Distinction weir sluice gate

Under construction...

The transition (distinction) from the Weir (waterway=weir) to the Sluice Gate (waterway=sluice_gate) is fluid.

In particular, modern, mechanically adjustable dams can usually serve several purposes depending on the need or situation. Some weirs can therefore also be classified and described as sluices and vice versa.

Below is a table with criteria for classification.

Kriterium	Weir	Sluice Gate
Tag	waterway=weir	waterway=sluice_gate
Foto
Primary (traditional) purposes	Water accumulation Regulation of the water level above Complete blockage of the water flow during dry periods (to form a water reservoir)	Complete blockage of the water flow Regulating the water flow rate
Secondary (additional) purposes	Regulation of the flow rate (rather imprecise) Regulation of the water level below (rather imprecise)	Regulation of the water level above/below (rather imprecise)
Mechanically adjustable	Rather no for historical/traditional weirs (e.g. broad-crested weir) Rather yes with more modern, mechanically adjustable weirs	Yes
Building size	Rather larger	Rather smaller

Author's note

The information here is an extract (interpretation) from my internet research. I am a layperson and therefore make no claim that the above is complete and correct. Everyone is invited to share or discuss knowledge here.