Levee Levee A levee (), dike, dyke, embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels. It is usually earthen and often parallel to the course of a river in its floodplain or along low-lying coastlines. Speakers of American English (notably in the Midwest and Deep South), use the word "levee", from the French word "levée" (from the feminine past participle of the French verb "lever", "to raise"). It originated in New Orleans a few years after the city's founding in 1718 and was later adopted by English speakers. The
Canisteo River name of the river comes from a Native American word meaning either "pickerel" or "head of water". In the 19th century the river valley was the site of an early timber industry. Logs were floated down the river after being cut. As on other rivers in the Susquehanna basin, transportation on the Canisteo before the middle 19th century was often accomplished by arks up to long. The headwaters of the Canisteo were considered to be the farthest navigable headwaters of ark navigation in the Susquehanna watershed. In the floods of 1936, the river overflowed and inundated parts of the Canisteo