Flood Control International installs advanced flood resilience system at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Flood Control International are excited to share a sneak peek of their latest installation at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. As part of the zoo's major new flood resilience initiative, the team is currently fitting a bespoke automatic sliding floodgate designed to protect valuable infrastructure, operational facilities, and most importantly, the animal habitats.

Managing flood risk in a complex, active environment like a zoo requires a balance of heavy-duty engineering and everyday practicality.

• The dimensions: The gate protects a massive opening measuring 26ft wide by 7ft high.
• The weight: Weighing in at roughly 11,000 lbs
• Smart activation: The system is fully automated. It can be triggered instantly by advanced flood sensors or via simple push-button controls for rapid deployment.

Built for the worst-case scenario

True resilience means planning for when things go wrong. Because power grid failures often accompany severe weather, we built multiple redundancies into the system:

Emergency override: In a total power outage, the gate features a manual override. Despite its immense 11,000-lb weight, the advanced engineering allows just two people to manually close the gate if needed.

Additionally, FCI integrated robust safety features to prevent unauthorised operation, ensuring the system remains completely secure while staying easily manageable for trained site personnel.

Looking ahead

This project is a prime example of how advanced flood engineering can seamlessly integrate into a highly specific operational environment without disrupting day-to-day operations.

Flood Control International are incredibly proud to be working on this project and looks forward to helping more organisations protect their high-value assets against rising flood risks.