cost estimates and freight statistics in support of his plan, which had already been explored by engineers who were in favor of the proposal. Cowdon believed that Eads' jetties was an experiment bringing only a temporary fix and thought the year-to-year costs of maintenance would prove that his permanent solution of a Barataria Ship Canal was superior. In reaction to decades of competing and conflicting directions regarding flood-control and navigation, the U.S. Congress passed the Mississippi River Commission Act in 1879. The commission would have seven members, including three from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and three from civilian life. The Mississippi River Commission (MRC) acted as an executive body reporting directly to the Secretary of War. The success of Eads jetties following its completion temporarily quieted cries for a man-made ship channel, but Cowdon's project would not be forgotten. Shallow draft projects Two navigation projects were completed along the proposed Jefferson Seaway route that provided shallow-draft navigation. The U.S. Federal Government passed the River and Harbors Act of 1919, which authorized the creation of a shallow-draft channel to be dredged from Lake Salvador at Bayou Villars to Barataria Pass at Grand Isle. The channel was authorized to be 5 feet deep by 50 feet wide and would combine existing canals and passages with newly dredged canals through marshland. The newly created Barataria Bay Waterway, which parallels Barataria Island and traverses through Barataria Bay, was 37 miles in length when completed in 1925. A portion of this waterway is referred to as Dupree Cut. This would represent the first instance of straightening and dredging along the route that was proposed for the Jefferson Seaway. In the 1920s, plans for the Gulf Intracoastal Water Way (GIWW) were underway, which would provide a sheltered coastal route for shallow-draft vessels. In the vicinity of New Orleans, existing infrastructure was incorporated into the route. The western entrance into the Mississippi River would be via the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal and lock, completed in 1923. The eastern entrance would be via the Harvey Canal. Its original locks were replaced as part of the GIWW project and construction was completed in 1934. An alternate western entrance to the Mississippi River and route was added via the Algiers Canal and lock, completed in 1956, which merged with the existing GIWW route 6 miles from the Harvey locks. Oil and gas exploration and production near and