The unusual design of the flume asked much of the engineers and the materials they would use. The shell had to work when half full as well as at maximum capacity. The reinforced steel and concrete in the flume had to stretch some, but also be strong enough to hold the weight of the water.

The decision to use cement and the experimentation with stress and elasticity of this unknown material was based on untried engineering applications. Only after 65 years of use did the outcome of this educated guess come to the surface.