The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 prompted Congress to pass the Flood Control Act of 1928 , authorizing numerous Corps of Engineers projects to control flooding along the Mississippi River . Meanwhile , Freeman campaigned for a national hydraulic laboratory , which resulted in a 1928 bill sponsored by Sen. Joseph Ransdell proposing construction of a laboratory in Washington , DC under the auspices of the Bureau of Standards after gaining the ear of then-Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover . After passing the Senate , Chief of Engineers General Edgar Jadwin testified against the proposed location before the House of Representatives , stating the laboratory should serve as a practical study of the Mississippi River , and as such , should be located on the Mississippi itself . As a result , the House deferred a decision on the national hydraulic laboratory until the following session . Jadwin 's subordinates testified before the House in 1929 after visiting European hydraulic laboratories . Their testimony pointed out the differences in scale between North American rivers and European rivers would require larger models and more flexibility
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Waterways Experiment Station