The area includes the flood plain on both sides of the Missouri River in the vicinity of St. Joseph, Missouri within the protected area of the levee system lie the City of St. Joseph, Missouri, the Rosecrans Memorial Airport and Missouri National Guard Base, and the cities of Elwood and Wathena, Kansas.
Section 216 of the 1970 Flood Control Act (PL-611), which provides authority to re-examine completed Civil Works projects.