Attempts to wall off area rivers instead of creating management plans and establishing goals to reduce development in low-lying areas has resulted in communities that are down river from levees being engulfed by water. And, just as the rivers swell, the problem expands because of Missouri's high tolerance for permissible flooding impact from developments.

Missouri allows development projects to affect flooding by up to a foot. A foot of water is significant flooding. By comparison, Illinois allows impact of only one-tenth of a foot and Wisconsin does not allow any impact.