Due to the dry weather season that the country is currently facing, the Mississippi river freshwater level has dropped significantly, allowing the water from the Gulf of Mexico to enter its system and raise the level of salt water.
Saltwater in the Mississippi River is a common occurrence that typically happens around every ten years according to the U.S. Army Corps Engineers. But the water coming from the ocean typically stays at the bottom of the river because of its density. The condition that the river is currently going through now is called saltwater wedge, which is when this water floats upstream on the river.
Because of this wedge, multiple areas have been affected, including the city of New Orleans, La..
Citizens of the town and the big companies that use the water for their crops have begun to worry about what the future may consist of if the problem doesn’t get resolved.
The city of Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana had paid for cities such as New Orleans and other cities in the state to have fresh water piped upstream back when the saltwater wedge happened in 2012.
With this event happening, the city has purchased two reverse osmosis machines that will work in Boothville and East Pointe à la Hache water facilities. This will cost around $40,000 per machine, per month.
The machines that will help with the issue would be made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who have planned for such occasions. Its plan consists of building the machinery that removes chloride – salt – from river water that is later treated in Boothville and East Pointe a La Hache.
On Wednesday Oct. 5, the Corps explained when and what they would be building. The construction is meant to begin in three weeks, and it consists of a 45-foot-tall underwater sill that is meant to stop the wedge from going upstream to areas like Plaquemines, the filters, and so on.
But before it, the president of Plaquemines Parish, Kirk M. Lepine declared a state of emergency in hope to raise awareness on the topic and its severity for some of the citizens of the area.
The city also sent a drinking water advisory to its citizens because of the high levels of chloride and sodium.
