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
Morganza to the Gulf Total federal cost: $576,355,000 Total non-federal cost: $310,345,000 The feasibility report was completed in March 2002. The Chief’s Report was signed on 23 August 2002. Preliminary Engineering and Design (PED) for the Houma Navigation Canal lock is ongoing and scheduled to be completed in December 2007. PED for the additional project features is also ongoing and scheduled to be completed in FY 08. A bill containing the authorization for Terrebonne's Morganza-to-the-Gulf hurricane protection system, a system of levees, floodgates and a lock on the Houma Navigation Canal, passed the U.S. Senate by an overwhelming margin today. The Senate voted 91