
The Sperberhai Dyke (german: Sperberhaier Damm) is in fact an
aqueduct which forms part of the
Upper Harz Water Regale network of reservoirs, ditches, dams and tunnels in the
Harz mountains
The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...
of
central Germany. It carries the water of the
Dyke Ditch over the depression of the Sperberhai to the
Clausthal plateau.
The Sperberhai Dyke was built in 1732 - 34 in order to satisfy the rising demand for water power for the water wheels of the Clausthal mines. The water crossed the embankment in a channel along its crest. The channel is only visible today at its western end. Its hydraulic capacity at peak times was up to 1,000 litres per second.
Sources
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Upper Harz Water Regale
Aqueducts in Germany
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