For nearly a half century , the MRC functioned as an executive body reporting directly to the U.S. Secretary of War . The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 changed the mission of the MRC . The consequent Flood Control Act of 1928 created the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project ( MR&T ) . The act assigned responsibility for developing and implementing the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project ( MR&T ) to the Mississippi River Commission . The MR&T project provides for control of floods of the Mississippi River from Head of Passes to vicinity of Cape Girardeau , Missouri , control of floods of the tributaries and outlets of the Mississippi River as they are affected by its backwaters , and improvement for navigation of the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge , Louisiana , to Cairo , Illinois . This includes improvements to certain harbors and improvement for navigation of Old and Atchafalaya Rivers from the Mississippi River to Morgan City , Louisiana
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Mississippi Valley Division