The Corps has, in fact, violated and steadfastly ignored its own guidelines for levee construction which stipulate that the cumulative impact of all levees must be taken into consideration before new permits for levee construction can be issued. The Snake is a large fast brawling river with an inclination to braid and spread out over it's flood plain. Once built, these homes are annually threatened by spring runoff. That is unless you build, with the Corps blessing, a levee along the river to protect your house and property. The problem with levees is that they are constricting the flows of a high-energy river that wants to channelize and spread out in order to dissipate some of that energy.
Levees tend to constrain the river to one single large channel.
By constricting flows and limiting channelization, levees serve to further increase water velocity. The result is increased erosion between levees and the consequent destruction of cutthroat and wildlife habitat. The habitat loss caused since levee construction first began is nothing short of astounding. Cutthroats, like all trout, require a specific sized gravel in the streambed in order to spawn successfully. Levees block access to this specialized spawning habitat, which is found in the many spring creeks feeding the river.