Drought Causing Saltwater To Move up the Mississippi River

Salt water moves up Miss. River, Army Corps reacts
Tuesday, 07 August 2012 6:55AM

The Army Corps of Engineers said Monday it would construct an underwater sill in the Mississippi River as it seeks to stop salt water from threatening drinking water supplies in the New Orleans area.

It's needed because water levels in the drought-stricken Mississippi have gotten so low that the river is nearly at sea level, allowing salt water from the Gulf of Mexico to move far inland.

The federal U.S. Drought Monitor shows nearly two-thirds of the lower 48 states are experiencing some form of drought, and the Department of Agriculture has declared more than half of the nation's counties - nearly 1,600 in 32 states - as natural disaster areas. More than 3,000 heat records were broken over the last month.

At the latest check on Monday, salt water was on the outskirts of New Orleans, 85 miles upriver from where the Mississippi empties into the Gulf. The river's fresh water is used by New Orleans and surrounding towns and industry.

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[link to www.wwl.com]


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Plaquemines calls state of emergency as saltwater moves up Mississippi .
wwltv.com
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 12:30 PM
Updated today at 12:41 PM

BELLE CHASSE, La. - Parish President Billy Nungesser declared a state of emergency Tuesday morning due to a salt wedge that is moving up the Mississippi River and that could threaten the parish's drinking water supply.

The wedge is currently moving north because of low levels in the Mississippi River and lack of rain in the upper regions on the U.S. The leading edge of the saltwater is approaching Belle Chasse.

The parish says that Nungesser declared a State of Emergency as a precautionary measure and to insure that a plan is in place if the need for fresh water arises.
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[link to www.wwltv.com]

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Mississippi River shuts down in Plaquemines Parish today
Aug 14, 2012 11:18 AM CDT

Belle Chasse, La.-- A major construction project in the Mississippi River gets started in Plaquemines Parish. At noon Tuesday, a section of the river will be shut down for 12 hours. It's part of the fight to block saltwater from moving upriver and impacting the area's drinking water.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin the complex job of building a sill, or underwater levee, in the river North of Myrtle Grove. The Corps says it will start laying underwater piping Tuesday, and during the next 45 days of construction, it says a stretch of the river in that area will probably be limited to one-way traffic.
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[link to www.fox8live.com]