tailwater

noun

tail·​wa·​ter ˈtāl-ˌwȯ-tər 

-ˌwä-

1

: water below a dam or waterpower development

2

: excess surface water draining especially from a field under cultivation

Examples of tailwater in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As Brantley notes, the ways the rivers are managed can impact the fishing, but most tailwaters are fishable at least some of the time in late summer. —Morgan Lyle, Field & Stream, 13 July 2023

Larger tailwaters located below reservoirs with regular cold-water releases are also good places to focus your fishing. —Morgan Lyle, Field & Stream, 13 July 2023

Fishing remains good, though tailwater temperatures that should be around 50 degrees in summer are instead roughly 70, said Wendy Gunn, who owns and operates Lees Ferry Anglers. —Brandon Loomis, USA TODAY, 19 Sep. 2022

Then there’s the marvel that is the tailrace tunnel (the channel that discharged the tailwater back to the river), built in the early 1900s with little more than pickaxes, shovels and rudimentary dynamite. —Laura Randall, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1759, in the meaning defined at sense 1