Morganza Spillway its present course through the major port cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans to a new course down the Atchafalaya River to the Gulf of Mexico. The Morganza Spillway, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was opened during the 1973 and 2011 Mississippi River floods. The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States, in large part due to the Mississippi River swelling to wide in spots. To prevent a repeat of the Great Flood of 1927, and better control river flooding in general, Congress passed the
Flow control structure dam across a shallow stream, forcing all of the water to one side to allow it to be easily collected in a canal. This can keep a canal full even with very low flows in a stream. Another simple device is a series of concrete piers installed in a spillway to slow down the descending water so that it does not cause damage at the bottom of the spillway. Flow control structure A flow control structure is a device that alters the flow of water in a stream, drainage channel or pipe. As a group these are passive structures since