Artificial Oxbow Lakes
Oxbow lakes may be formed when a river channel is straightened artificially to improve navigation or for flood alleviation. This occurred notably on the upper Rhine in Germany in the nineteenth century.
An example of an entirely artificial waterway with oxbows is the Oxford Canal in England. When originally constructed, it had a very meandering course, following the contours of the land, but the northern part of the canal was straightened out between 1829 and 1834. The work reduced its length from 91 to 77 and a half miles (approximately) and left a number of oxbow-shaped sections isolated from the new course.
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