Mississippi River Saltwater Intrusion Threatens Drinking Water; New Orleans Declares Emergency

A wedge of saltwater is forcing its way up the drought-stricken Mississippi River, threatening drinking water supplies.

A commercial barge sits in its dock along the Mississippi River in Memphis, Tenn., on Oct. 20, 2022. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

A mass of saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico is forcing its way up the drought-stricken Mississippi River, threatening drinking water supplies for some 900,000 Louisiana residents and leaving officials scrambling to mitigate the effects of the intrusion.

“This is a very challenging situation, where salt water is intruding upstream,” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said at a Sept. 22 press conference alongside state and local leaders, emergency officials, and representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.