In response to the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 , the Flood Control Act of 1928 authorized the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project ( MR&T ) , which is implemented by the Mississippi River Commission ( MRC ) . The MRC estimated a maximum probable flood discharge of at Cairo , Illinois that was greater than the 1927 flood but less than the 1927 flood combined with the maximum recorded discharge of the Ohio River in 1913 . In a separate analysis , the U.S. Weather Bureau determined that a " maximum possible " flood would result in a discharge of based on the maximum recorded flows of the upper Mississippi , Ohio , Cumberland , and Tennessee Rivers . In a combined analysis , the higher flow rate estimate was used
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Project design flood