The river reach downstream of a floodgate at the estuary of the Xinyihe River is about 1.3km long, and the riverbed is composed of clotty clay. In the experiment, soil samples are taken from the construction site, and the incipient velocity is determined in a laboratory flume, and it is used to design the scour model and to select model sand material. The experimental results show that scours below the floodgate is unavoidable due to large discharge and low tidal level. Scours is caused by two factors: the rapid flow passing though the floodgate and the water drop near the river mouth during low tide, and the scour below the floodgate is more critical to the structural design. It is suggested that anti-scour walls should be used instead of riprap. The ideas and methods adopted in the experiment can be used as reference in the study on river scour under similar conditions.