宜蘭濁水溪河道彎曲漫流，加上蘭陽平原大量降雨的特性，導致河 川暴漲氾濫，容易形成洪水災害，自清代漢人入蘭開墾，為農業需求而 興建許多水利設施，然而，宜蘭濁水溪的洪水頻頻淹沒許多灌溉的田園， 水圳亦經常遭到洪水的沖毀，造成人民的安全與財產上的損失，由於清 政府公共建設經費之不足，無力建設堤防防範洪水，對於水災情況消極 面對，因此宜蘭人民為降低洪水對於經濟與生活的威脅，而集資修建堤 岸防禦洪水。而清代宜蘭人民認為宜蘭濁水溪頻頻的水患，乃因鬼神降 災所致，對於洪災抱持敬畏的態度，以超自然的態度來面對各種天然災 害，因此在水災過後經常舉行消災儀式，以祈求風調雨順。 曰本人領臺初期，引進近帶科學知識至臺灣，包含地理學、氣象學 等等，打破傳統對於天災的鬼神論，而日治初期對於河川僅有基本性質 的調查，對於河川整治尚未有精細規劃，因此在水災頻頻的宜蘭，宜蘭 濁水溪氾濫依舊，直至明治33年（1900)時任宜蘭廳長的西鄉菊次郎為 了防止水災，因此建立了「西鄉堤防」，降低了宜蘭廳行政中心宜蘭街的水災災情；除了西鄉堤防外，宜蘭街所屬的第一公共埤圳於明治41年 (1908)完成改修工事，工事中排水設施的興建，亦大大降低宜蘭河在 灌溉區域內所造成的水災。宜蘭濁水溪氾濫地區甚多，特別是下游的低 窪地區以及彎曲的河道，然而西鄉堤防的建立與優先改善宜蘭第一公共埤圳的舊有水利設施，主要皆是以降低宜蘭街的水患災情為目標，在缺乏全盤規劃之下，這些應急的工程多少也反映了一些政治意味。

The river course of Yilan Jhuoshuei River was curved, and the rainfall of Yilan was very high, so Yilan Jhuoshuei River often led to disastrous floods. Also, many farmlands were drowned by the floods, and the floods threatened the people’s lives. People raised funds to construct the embankment to prevent the floods. About the flood concept, the Qing people thought the floods caused by the anger of the River God. Therefore, after the river flooding, the Qing people always took place some ceremonies to pray for the favorable weather in the next year. Japanese established the scientific knowledge in Taiwan in Japanese ruled early period, so the flood concept was changing. Because Yilan Jhuoshuei River flooded as before, the Yilan Chief decided to construct the embankment in the Yilan capital to protect the people from the floods. In this time, many hydraulic engineerings in Yilan connoted political fators. Preventing the floods in the Yilan capital was the priority target.