Flumes are generally less accurate than weirs, but they do enjoy the advantage of being inherently
self-cleaning. If the liquid stream being measured is drainage- or waste-water, a substantial amount
of solid debris may be present in the flow that could cause repeated clogging problems for weirs. In
such applications, flumes are often the more practical flow element for the task (and more accurate over the long term as well, since even the finest weir will not register accurately once fouled by
debris).