The Mississippi and Ohio Rivers Levee System at Cairo & Vicinity provides flood risk reduction for approximately 16,521 acres on a peninsula just upstream of the Mississippi and Ohio River confluence. The levee system provides flood risk reduction for the cities of Klondike, Cairo, Mound City, Mounds, IL and other smaller municipalities in the surrounding areas. The leveed area is bounded by the Mississippi River on the west and the Ohio River on the east. The System begins at the northern extreme of the Mound City, IL Levee and Floodwall segment and terminates at high ground north of the Cache River Diversion Channel at the confluence of the Cache River and the Mississippi River. The Levee System consists of 18 miles of earthen levee and 3 miles of floodwall with multiple closures, pump stations, culverts, and diversion channels. The Levee consists of five individual segments. The levee system is part of the Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) project. The MR&T project was authorized by the 1928 Flood Control Act. In the wake of the devastating 1927 flood, it was deemed necessary to put into place a comprehensive, unified system of public works within the lower Mississippi Valley that would provide unprecedented flood risk management and an equally efficient navigation channel. The MR&T project continues to be one of the world’s most comprehensive and successful flood risk reduction projects.