These are used to keep watercourses stock proof, whatever the level of the water. The gate is designed to swing up and float as the water rises, allowing water and debris to flow underneath. If there is a choice of location, choose a point where the stream has a hard, stony bottom and firm banks.
A water gate must be carefully made to fit the profile of the gully it crosses. The gate should be of simple but strong construction, and attached very securely to withstand the force of flooding water. The best method of attachment is to use lengths of chain, joined with shackles. Wire and staples are not strong enough.
On post and rail fences, the gate is attached to the bottom rail. On strained wire fences, a bottom rail must be attached, with extra posts as necessary. A typical design is shown below.
Extra barriers may be needed to span steep sided gullies, where it is awkward to build a fence to follow the gully profile. The ground is often soft and waterlogged, making it difficult to make a secure tie-down for a strained wire fence. The structure shown below was built in an area where stone was plentiful.
An alternative is to use post and rail fencing, especially in combination with high tensile fencing, where severe tie downs are difficult to make.
