floodgate vs flume

floodgate

noun
  • An adjustable gate or valve used to control the flow of water through a sluice. 

  • Anything that controls or limits an outpouring of people, emotion etc. 

flume

noun
  • An open channel or trough used to direct or divert liquids. 

  • A ravine or gorge, usually one with water running through. 

verb
  • To transport (logs of wood) by floating them along a water-filled channel or trough. 

How often have the words floodgate and flume occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )