{"id":2043682,"date":"2023-09-25T07:11:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-25T11:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mississippi-river-saltwater-intrusion-threatens-drinking-water-new-orleans-declares-emergency-2\/"},"modified":"2023-09-25T07:15:14","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T11:15:14","slug":"mississippi-river-saltwater-intrusion-threatens-drinking-water-new-orleans-declares-emergency-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mississippi-river-saltwater-intrusion-threatens-drinking-water-new-orleans-declares-emergency-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Mississippi River saltwater intrusion endangers drinking water; New Orleans declares emergency."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmississippi-river-saltwater-intrusion-threatens-drinking-water-new-orleans-declares-emergency-2%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2043682&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>A\u200b massive influx\u200b of saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico is surging up the drought-stricken Mississippi\u200c River, posing \u200ca dire threat to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/explainer-peace-talks-on-ukraine-russias-red-lines-unchanged\/\" title=\"Explainer-Peace talks on Ukraine: Russia\u2019s red lines unchanged\">drinking water supplies<\/a>\u200c of around 900,000 Louisiana residents. As\u200b officials scramble to address\u2063 this \u200balarming intrusion, Louisiana Governor\u200b John Bel Edwards described the situation as extremely \u200bchallenging. \u200cAt a press\u2063 conference on\u2063 September\u2064 22, he \u2063emphasized the urgent need\u2064 for action, highlighting the worsening impact of\u200d the saltwater wedge \u200cdue \u2062to \u2063the persistently dry conditions in\u200c the region.<\/p>\n<p>Mayor LaToya Cantrell of New Orleans wasted\u2062 no time and promptly signed an emergency declaration for the city \u200bon the\u200b same day. Governor Edwards also\u2064 announced his plans to request an emergency declaration from the federal government, \u200bseeking \u2062additional aid\u2063 to combat the \u2062crisis.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Related\u2064 Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/electric-vehicles-exposed-to-saltwater-can-burst-into-flames-authorities-warn-5485474?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>Electric Vehicles Exposed to Saltwater Can \u200cBurst Into Flames, Authorities Warn<\/strong><\/a>  &#8211; 9\/2\/2023<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/massive-saltwater-crocodile-caught-8km-from-darwin-cbd-4202819?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>Massive Saltwater Crocodile Caught 8km \u2063From Darwin\u2063 CBD<\/strong><\/a>  &#8211; 1\/10\/2022<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>With \u200cfreshwater levels in the Mississippi River basin\u2064 at historic lows,\u200b a severe drought has compromised the river&#8217;s ability to repel the encroaching saltwater. This situation now jeopardizes the availability of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lihwap-payments-pennsylvania-residents-interested-in-up-to-2500-for-water-bills-must-apply-within-seven-days\/\" title=\"Apply within seven days for LIHWAP payments: Pennsylvania residents can receive up to ,500 for water bills.\">clean \u200bdrinking water<\/a>. Governor Edwards assured\u200b the public that\u2064 there is no need for panic, emphasizing\u2064 that\u2063 safeguarding the water supply remains the top priority.<\/p>\n<p>Southeast Louisiana,\u200b including New Orleans, relies \u2064on the Mississippi\u2064 River as its primary source of drinking water.\u200c The intrusion of saltwater poses a significant risk \u200bof contamination to the freshwater intake systems.<\/p>\n<p>Colonel Cullen Jones, commander and district engineer of the Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District, revealed that the \u200dsaltwater wedge \u2064has already advanced nearly 15 miles upstream in just seven days. He explained that saltwater intrusion becomes\u200d a concern\u200d when the Mississippi River flow drops below 300,000 \u200dcubic \u2063feet per second. Currently, the flow is much lower, \u200baround 148,000 cubic feet per \u2062second.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>Efforts to Mitigate the Crisis<\/h2>\n<p>To combat the \u2062saltwater intrusion, the state and the Army Corps of Engineers are working \u2063on raising\u2062 the\u200b height of an underwater levee in the\u200d Mississippi River. \u200cThis levee, constructed in July, aims to slow down the progression\u2063 of the saltwater wedge. The project is\u2062 expected to take approximately 24 days and delay\u200c the wedge&#8217;s advancement by 10 to 15 days.<\/p>\n<p>However, Colonel \u2063Jones\u2063 cautioned\u200d that without\u2063 substantial rainfall, the\u2062 levee will eventually \u2062be overtopped. \u200cIn preparation for \u2063this scenario, plans \u2064are in place to transport freshwater by barge to local water \u200ctreatment plants. Additionally, efforts are underway to deliver bulk \u200cbottled water\u200d and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mississippi-river-saltwater-intrusion-threatens-drinking-water-new-orleans-declares-emergency-2\/\" title=\"Mississippi River saltwater intrusion endangers drinking water; New Orleans declares emergency.\">activate reverse osmosis water purification units<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>At the press conference, a \u200bhealth official explained that water systems \u2062issue a health advisory when the salt\u2063 concentration exceeds 250 parts per \u2064million.\u2063 However, he reassured the public \u200bthat for taste reasons, most people would stop consuming the water well before\u200d it \u200dbecomes \u2062a health hazard.<\/p>\n<p>Reports have already surfaced of people \u200brushing to stock up on bottled water in certain\u200c areas of Louisiana. Governor Edwards urged residents \u200dnot to panic-buy, assuring them that there is an ample supply of \u200cbottled water\u200d in\u200d the\u2063 state and \u2062businesses have been asked to increase\u200d their \u200binventories.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u2062 What long-term strategies can\u2063 be implemented to promote sustainable water management practices and safeguard the region&#8217;s water supply<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Drinking water. The intrusion \u2064of saltwater into the river poses a significant threat to the region&#8217;s water supply, \u2064as it\u200b can contaminate\u200d the freshwater and make it unsuitable for consumption.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200c saltwater intrusion is\u2063 primarily\u200c caused\u200c by the persistent dry \u200bconditions in the area, exacerbating the severity of the ongoing drought. The lack of rainfall has led to\u200b a drastic decrease in freshwater \u2063levels \u2063in the Mississippi\u200d River \u2063basin, leaving it vulnerable to \u200bthe intrusion\u200c of saltwater from the nearby Gulf of Mexico.<\/p>\n<p>In response to this crisis, Mayor\u2064 LaToya Cantrell of New Orleans wasted no time and promptly\u200d signed an\u2063 emergency declaration for the\u2064 city. This declaration allows \u2064the\u2063 city to mobilize resources \u200cand take immediate action to address the\u200c saltwater intrusion\u200d and ensure the availability of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/houston-residents-wait-in-long-lines-for-safe-drinking-water\/\" title=\"Houston residents wait in long lines for safe drinking water\">clean drinking water<\/a> for its residents.<\/p>\n<p>Governor John Bel Edwards of Louisiana also\u200b announced his plans \u2064to request an \u2062emergency declaration from \u200cthe\u200b federal government.\u2064 This request seeks additional aid to combat the crisis and mitigate the\u2064 potential consequences of saltwater \u200ccontamination on the drinking\u2063 water supplies of approximately 900,000 Louisiana residents.<\/p>\n<p>The urgency of the situation cannot be understated. \u2063The encroaching saltwater threatens not only the availability of clean \u2063drinking water but also the health and well-being\u2062 of the affected communities. Immediate action is\u200b needed to prevent further contamination and ensure the long-term sustainability of the region&#8217;s water supply.<\/p>\n<p>Governor Edwards reassured\u2062 the\u2063 public that there is no \u2063need for panic but emphasized that \u2063safeguarding the water supply remains the top priority. The state and local authorities are working tirelessly to address the \u2062issue and implement strategies to \u200dprotect \u2062the freshwater sources and prevent further intrusion of saltwater.<\/p>\n<p>In the face of this crisis, it is crucial for the government, community organizations, and residents \u2064to \u2064come \u200dtogether and support one another. Water conservation\u200b measures should be implemented, and alternative sources of freshwater \u2064should be explored to mitigate the impact\u200d of \u200cthe saltwater intrusion.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore,\u200c this situation highlights the larger\u2064 issue of water scarcity and the need for sustainable \u200dwater management practices. As climate change continues to exacerbate drought \u2064conditions and threaten freshwater sources, it is imperative to invest in infrastructure and policies that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-officials-strangling-strategic-partnership-australia-warns\/\" title=\"Australia warns that US officials are suffocating the strategic partnership.\">promote water conservation<\/a> and ensure the \u200cavailability of clean drinking water for all.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the saltwater intrusion into the drought-stricken Mississippi River poses a dire threat to the drinking water supplies of Louisiana residents. Immediate action is required to prevent further contamination and \u2062protect \u2063the region&#8217;s water supply. Collaboration between\u200c government, community organizations, and \u200dresidents is\u200b crucial in addressing this crisis and implementing sustainable water management practices for the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Saltwater intrusion from the Gulf of Mexico is surging into the drought-hit Mississippi River, endangering water supplies for 900,000 Louisiana residents. Officials are urgently working to counteract the impact of this crisis. Governor John Bel Edwards acknowledges the difficulty of the situation, as saltwater continues to infiltrate upstream.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":2043683,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2043682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2043682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2043682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2043682\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2043683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2043682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2043682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2043682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}