Levees on the National Mall Levees for flood control were first constructed on the National Mall after the <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/343">Great Potomac Flood of 1936</a>. They were north of the <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/23">Reflecting Pool</a>, extending from the <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/33">Lincoln Memorial</a> to the <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/36">Washington Monument</a>. This early levee system did not eliminate flood damage. In 1942, flood waters again breached the sea wall of the <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/430">Tidal Basin</a> and covered the land beyond the <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/31">Jefferson Memorial</a>. However, repairs to the Mall's levee system did not happen until 2006, when the basement of the National Archives flooded, threatening the survival of important national documents. New levees include a the construction of a removable barrier on 17th Street crossing the National Mall. <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=D.B.+King">D.B. King</a> Flickr. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootbearwdc/280113847/in/set-72157594259513614">View original.</a> 2006 <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=38&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1920-1949">1920-1949</a>