4. Exacerbation of Major Floods
While the levee system has been effective in containing small floods, the levees may actually increase the severity of major floods. Levees prevent the rivers from spreading out over their natural floodplains. If a river spreads out over a large floodplain area, then the height of the water's rise during a flood is relatively small. However, if a river is not allowed to spread out over a floodplain, then the water will rise much higher in the artificially narrowed river channel. Higher water levels may top existing levees, resulting in flooding and calls for ever-higher levees.