{"id":2045382,"date":"2023-09-26T15:49:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-26T19:49:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-orleans-braces-for-salt-in-water-supply-along-drought-stricken-mississippi-river\/"},"modified":"2023-09-26T15:50:59","modified_gmt":"2023-09-26T19:50:59","slug":"new-orleans-braces-for-salt-in-water-supply-along-drought-stricken-mississippi-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-orleans-braces-for-salt-in-water-supply-along-drought-stricken-mississippi-river\/","title":{"rendered":"New Orleans prepares for salt in water due to drought-hit Mississippi River."},"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\">24<\/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%2Fnew-orleans-braces-for-salt-in-water-supply-along-drought-stricken-mississippi-river%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=2045382&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--><h2>Saltwater Intrusion Threatens Drinking\u200c Water Supply in Southeastern Louisiana<\/h2>\n<p>As the Gulf\u2063 of Mexico&#8217;s saltwater slowly makes its way up the drought-stricken Mississippi River, officials in New Orleans are preparing for \u2064a potential crisis in the region&#8217;s drinking water\u2062 supply.<\/p>\n<p>The office of Governor John Bel Edwards \u200c(D-LA) has \u2062reported that several parishes in the area have \u2063already been impacted by \u200dhigh salt content in the water, and more are at risk as\u200d freshwater\u200b from the Mississippi River struggles to combat the encroaching saltwater from the Gulf.<\/p>\n<p>There are concerns that \u2062salt levels may exceed the Environmental Protection Agency&#8217;s maximum limit of 250 milligrams \u200dper liter. This not only poses health\u200c risks such \u2062as high blood pressure but also increases the corrosion of water distribution infrastructure, residential piping, and\u200c faucets.<\/p>\n<p>In response to the situation, Governor Edwards has requested a federal emergency declaration \u2064from the \u200dBiden administration to address the saltwater intrusion. This declaration would activate federal resources to tackle\u2062 the problem.<\/p>\n<p>New Orleans Mayor LaToya\u2062 Cantrell \u2063has also declared a state of emergency for the city. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Sewerage and Water Board\u2064 of New Orleans are exploring various\u2062 solutions, \u200bincluding bringing in barges or tanker ships with fresh water to mix with the salinated water and reduce overall salt content. Plaquemines Parish has \u200calready implemented this technique.<\/p>\n<p>Another\u200b option being considered is desalination, which uses reverse \u200cosmosis to convert saltwater into freshwater. Additionally, fresh water could be\u2062 pumped from neighboring parishes into the affected water systems. However, it should be noted that the Sewerage and Water Board of \u200dNew \u200cOrleans currently lacks in-house desalination capabilities.<\/p>\n<p>Estimates suggest that the saltwater &#8220;wedge&#8221; could reach water intake facilities in Belle Chasse, the largest community in \u200cPlaquemines \u200cParish, by October 13th and would reach New Orleans later in the\u200c month. Some residents in Plaquemines Parish\u2064 have already been relying on bottled water since the summer.<\/p>\n<p>The Mississippi River is particularly vulnerable to saltwater intrusion due to its mouth being situated well below sea level. This allows the denser saline water from the Gulf to seep \u200din \u200band flow upstream along the riverbed.<\/p>\n<p>Although the Mississippi River&#8217;s freshwater flows are typically sufficient to combat saltwater intrusion,\u200b the historic \u2063low water level has made the region susceptible to saltwater. The river needs to\u2063 maintain a freshwater flow of at \u200cleast 300,000 cubic feet per second, but it \u2062is currently flowing at less than half of that, \u2064measuring only 148,000 cubic feet per second.<\/p>\n<p>The USACE is working on expanding an underwater barrier, known as a sill, which\u200d was constructed in July. This barrier is designed \u200bto slow down the flow of saltwater upriver.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What are the\u200d potential <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-intel-warns-china-is-advancing-military-power-sharing-propaganda\/\" title=\"U.S. Intel warns China is advancing military power, sharing propaganda\">long-term solutions<\/a> being explored by the state government and the \u200dU.S. Army Corps of Engineers to \u2062address the saltwater\u2064 intrusion threat in southeastern Louisiana?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  N \u2062to address the saltwater intrusion threat. The declaration would provide \u200cadditional resources and funding to implement measures to protect the drinking water supply in southeastern Louisiana.<\/p>\n<p>One of the \u200cimmediate steps being taken \u2062is the construction of temporary pumping stations along the\u2064 Mississippi River to increase \u200bthe flow of freshwater into affected areas. These pumping stations would help \u2063create\u200c a freshwater barrier to \u200cprevent further saltwater intrusion into the drinking\u2063 water supply.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the state government is\u200c working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to explore long-term solutions\u2064 to the problem. This includes the feasibility of building permanent structures such as barriers or diversions that would redirect\u2062 freshwater from the Mississippi River and allow it to\u200d flow into the affected areas while keeping saltwater at bay.<\/p>\n<p>However, these long-term solutions come with their\u200b own set \u2063of challenges. The construction of such structures would be a complex and costly endeavor.\u2062 It would require careful planning, environmental \u2063impact assessments, and coordination with various stakeholders. Furthermore, the impact on the \u200cnatural \u200becosystems and \u200dwildlife in\u2064 the area would need to be carefully considered and mitigated.<\/p>\n<p>The saltwater \u2064intrusion threat \u2062in southeastern Louisiana highlights the vulnerability of coastal communities to the impacts of climate change. Rising sea levels and increased saltwater intrusion are a direct result of global warming and \u200cthe melting of polar ice caps. If left \u2064unaddressed, this threat could have \u2064severe consequences not only for the drinking water supply but also for the livelihoods of the people in the region.<\/p>\n<p>In order to effectively combat\u200c the\u2062 saltwater intrusion\u2064 threat, a multi-faceted approach is \u200crequired. This\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-orleans-braces-for-salt-in-water-supply-along-drought-stricken-mississippi-river\/\" title=\"New Orleans prepares for salt in water due to drought-hit Mississippi River.\">includes reducing\u200d greenhouse gas emissions<\/a> to mitigate the impacts of climate \u2062change, investing in infrastructure\u2062 to protect coastal communities, 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.\">implementing sustainable water management practices<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As the situation in southeastern Louisiana unfolds, it serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need to address the climate crisis. The protection of\u200d our drinking\u200d water supply and the well-being of\u200c our communities depend on our ability to act swiftly and decisively to combat\u2062 the impacts of climate change. Only through collective efforts and strong leadership can \u200bwe ensure \u2063a sustainable and secure future for generations to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the Gulf of Mexico&#8217;s salt water advances into the parched Mississippi River, New Orleans officials prepare for a potential hazard to the drinking water supply in southeastern Louisiana. Governor John Bel Edwards&#8217;s office reports that numerous parishes have already experienced increased salt levels, with more expected.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2045383,"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":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2045382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"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\/2045382","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2045382"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2045382\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2045383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2045382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2045382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2045382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}