Zamoskvorechye, the land on the flat southern bank of Moskva river, was frequently flooded in spring.

In dry periods, the old river bed used to shrink into isolated muddy swamps, spreading disease.

The memory of these moats (ровушки, ендовы; rovyshki, yendovy) remains in the names of Raushskaya embankment and Church of St. George v Yendove (literally, in the pot).

In addition to creating an island separated from Zamoskvorechye, Kazakov also proposed cutting two flood control dikes west from Bersenevka.

In the east, Kazakov planned to flood uninhabited farmland permanently, and connect the Canal to the Moskva River inside the present-day Garden Ring.

A notably devastating flood occurred in 1783, razing the suburbs and damaging Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge (three spans collapsed, killing four people).

After the Fire of 1812, the western island and the dike separating it from the mainland were reclaimed for development (today, they form the Golden Mile of Khamovniki District).

A new channel extension east was built to bypass the old 90-degree turn; as the 1853 map shows, the new canal cut Red Hills neighborhood away from the mainland.

The city planners entertain plans to build a parking lot under the canal, from across Golutvin sloboda office block (see photo above), to Tretyakov Gallery.