As salt water from the Gulf of Mexico creeps up the drought-stricken Mississippi River, officials in New Orleans are bracing for a threat to drinking water supply in southeastern Louisiana.
According to Gov. John Bel Edwards's office, several parishes in the area have already been affected by high salt content in water, and more are at risk as freshwater flows from the Mississippi are proving incapable of fighting encroachment from the Gulf.
“Unfortunately, without any relief from the dry weather, we are starting to see the saltwater intrusion creep further up the river despite efforts to mitigate the problems by the Army Corps of Engineers,” Edwards said during a Unified Command Group meeting, noting the lack of rain the area has had. “We have been through this situation before in 1988, and we are monitoring this situation very closely and applying the lessons learned.
“The Corps is securing water barges that will support impacted water treatment facilities by transporting water collected from portions of the river that do not have salinity readings,” USACE New Orleans District Commander Col. Cullen Jones said in a Monday statement. “This water can then be combined with water at the municipal facility to create a mixture that is safe for treatment.”
Estimates show the salt water, known as a"wedge," could reach water intake facilities in Belle Chasse, Plaquemines Parish's largest community, by Oct. 13 and would reach New Orleans later that month. Some residents in Plaquemines Parish have already been relying on bottled water since the summer.
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