Those experts were the Army Corps of Engineers. The problem wasn't that there was some grand plan to "fix" the Mississippi River. The problem is that each individual county along the Mississippi wanted levies along the river. The Army couldn't stop it, they didn't have the power. Everyone got their levy and what resulted is the gunbarrell effect. The water has a narrow channel and it all gets sent to some unlucky rural saps downstream. The the whole thing fails and everyone is screwed.
This is just basic physics that the entire physics community is arguing. It's impossible to build this to be effective. And it instead starts an arms race.
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