NEW ORLEANS—Residents in the southern Louisiana parish of Plaquemines were left thirsty this summer after saltwater started flowing from their kitchen taps.
In late June 2023, saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico moved up into the Mississippi River and began to impact the drinking water supply for communities located in Plaquemines Parish. This phenomenon, known as a saltwater wedge or saltwater intrusion, raised the salt content of the drinking water in the area, forcing residents to rely on bottled water.
Typically, a saltwater intrusion would be contained to lower Plaquemines communities such as Venice, Buras, Boothville, Empire, Bohemia, etc. When a saltwater intrusion occurs, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the federal agency tasked with managing the river to ensure it can be navigated by cargo ships, is usually quick to build a structure in the river known as a “sill” to prevent the saltwater from moving up river.
However, it has been announced by USACE officials that the sill has failed to contain the saltwater. This means, depending on how the situation develops, every water production plant within the southeast Louisiana region (including New Orleans) could be inundated with saltwater and unable to provide clean drinking water to residents. The situation is serious enough that the mayor of New Orleans has issued an emergency declaration to address it.
In order to properly understand this saltwater intrusion event, we need to look at what caused it, what efforts are being taken to mitigate its impact, and how this situation could develop over the coming weeks and months.
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