A type of wide earthen dam or embankment used in the western United States to disrupt the natural flow of run-off water by causing it to spread into a wider area, thus promoting greater ground infiltration and reduction in erosion.
Origin
1930s.
Definition of spreader dam in US English:
spreader dam
noun
US Hydrology
A type of wide earthen dam or embankment used in the western United States to disrupt the natural flow of run-off water by causing it to spread into a wider area, thus promoting greater ground infiltration and reduction in erosion.