Ramadi Barrage is a two-section diversion

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

on the Euphrates River adjacent (west) of Ramadi, Iraq. The main purpose of the northern barrage is to slow or stop water if needed, allowing it to be diverted through the southern barrage into a canal. The canal feeds water into

Lake Habbaniyah Lake Habbaniyah ( ''Baḥīra al-Ḥabbāniya'') is a lake located halfway between Ramadi and Fallujah near Al-Taqaddum (TQ) Air Base in Al Habbaniyah in Anbar Province, Iraq. In the late 1930s and 1940s Lake Habbaniyah was used by Imperial Airw ...

to the southeast. The intent was to use water stored by the Ramadi Barrage and the

Samarra Barrage The Samarra Barrage ( ar, سد سامَرّاء) is a multi-purpose barrage on the Tigris River adjacent (west) of Samarra and north of Baghdad, Iraq. The main purpose of the dam is to divert floodwater in the Tigris River to Lake Tharthar thr ...

for irrigation. However, evaporation on Lakes Habbaniyah and

Tharthar Lake Tharthar (also Therthar), and known in Iraq as Buhayrat ath-Tharthar ( ar, بحيرة الثرثار), is an artificial lake opened in 1956, situated 100 kilometers (62 mi) northwest of Baghdad between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. H ...

led to reduced storage and high salinity, conditions unsuitable for irrigation.

References

{{Euphrates dams Dams in Iraq Dams on the Euphrates River 1955 establishments in Iraq Barrages (dam) Dams completed in 1955 Crossings of the Euphrates