A
floodplain or
flood plain is an area of land adjacent to a
stream or
river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences
flooding during periods of high discharge. It includes the floodway, which consists of the stream
channel and adjacent areas that actively carry flood flows downstream, and the
flood fringe, which are areas inundated by the flood, but which do not experience a strong
current. In other words, a floodplain is an area near a river or a stream which floods when the water level reaches
flood stage.
