A paddle wheel is a form of waterwheel or impeller in which a number of paddles are set around the periphery of the wheel. It has several uses, some of which are:

• Very low-lift water pumping, such as flooding paddy fields at no more than about height above the water source.
• To move and mix algae culture in the raceway ponds used for algaculture.
• Propulsion of boats (as a paddlewheel)
• Low head hydro power (as a waterwheel)
• Flow sensors
• Aerators