Also known as the Chain of Lakes segment, the Tombigbee River takes such a twisting route through this area that the Army Corps of Engineers chose to bypass the river altogether. A series of five locks form relatively small lakes to help minimize environmental impacts.

The 44-mile-long man-made levee on the RDB separates the river from the canal, preventing its inundation and destruction. Failure of the levee would not only flood the adjacent land to the west but would also drain the canal of all water.