A historic drought in the Mississippi River Valley is a crucial factor putting thousands of people in southeast Louisiana on edge as officials seek a solution to their water supply woes.
What’s happening?
As detailed by the Mississippi Free Press, saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico has intermixed with freshwater from the Mississippi River for the third year in a row, threatening the water supply for cities as far as 100 miles from the river’s southern endpoint.
In 2023, the saltwater intrusion disrupted the Plaquemines Parish for months. According to the report, tap water was too salty for residents to drink, so they had to buy bottled water. Moreover, the salinity damaged in-house appliances and raised fears of pipe damage — which could have released lead and other toxins into the drinking water.
“It was bad. Our residents were suffering because of it,” parish president Keith Hinkley said per the Mississippi Free Press, while Paul Miller — a Louisiana State University assistant professor of coastal meteorology — added, “There’s a feeling of almost helplessness.”
Why is this important?
The Mississippi River is the primary water source for millions of Americans, and it is not the only U.S. water supply in jeopardy. For instance, rising sea levels have caused saltwater intrusion in the Delaware River, which serves major cities like Philadelphia.
In the case of the Mississippi, even though some saltwater intrusion in the river is to be expected, as New Orleans Public Radio explained, the occurrence is becoming more frequent and unusual. Typically, the intrusion happens once every 10 years rather than back-to-back.
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Experts believe a historic drought is one of the key factors to blame. When the river is full, its freshwater exerts enough power to keep the saltwater at its mouth at bay. However, when its rate of flow drops below 300,000 cubic feet per second — as it has during the drought — the river is too weak to keep the salt water from creeping in, per the Mississippi Free Press.
Changing weather patterns are another element at play. As global temperatures have warmed because of human activities, like the burning of dirty fuels, extreme weather events have become more intense. So even though powerful storms have dumped vast quantities of rain in Louisiana, the effect on the river isn’t the same.
“When you get these big rain events, the soil can only absorb so much at one time, so you get a lot more runoff. The rivers get higher faster, but they don’t stay high — their base flow isn’t lifted,” National Weather Service hydrologist Matthew Wilson told the Free Press.
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What can be done to protect Louisiana’s drinking water?
The Army Corps of Engineers funds and maintains a saltwater sill, monitoring weather forecasts to determine when to install and remove the temporary structure each year, per the Free Press. However, the sill isn’t feasible in the long term. In part, that’s because it’s expensive to build. In 2023, the Army Corps spent more than $20 million on the structure.
Another solution could be to fill in river crevasses during periods of low flow. Ehab Meselhe, a professor of River-Coastal Science at Tulane University, explained to the Free Press that doing so should improve the river’s momentum. A reverse osmosis filtration system could be a more long-lasting solution, though treatment facilities would require upgrades.
In the meantime, per New Orleans Public Radio, officials say residents should not panic but prepare for saltwater intrusion. They encouraged people to forgo single-use plastic water bottles and instead fill reusable containers with tap water before an event occurs.
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