Before the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 , the Corps 's primary strategy was to close off as many side channels as possible to increase the flow in the main river . It was thought that the river 's velocity would scour off bottom sediments , deepening the river and decreasing the possibility of flooding . The 1927 flood proved this to be so wrong that communities threatened by the flood began to create their own levee breaks to relieve the force of the rising river
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Mississippi River