A wedge of salt water that has been moving up the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico, thanks to extremely low flows on the river, has already sullied water supplies in south Plaquemines Parish. There's growing concern the salt water could harm water quality in heavily populated areas including Orleans and Jefferson Parish.
Here are three things to know about the saltwater wedge and what it could mean for you:
Don't panic
New Orleans and Jefferson Parish leaders say water is safe to drink, and any potential risk to the supply is likely weeks away.
"We have normal (water) conditions and we expect it to be that way for several weeks," Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng told WWL-AM on Friday morning.
Sheng said Jefferson has more than enough water and plans to increase the amount it's sending to Plaquemines to dilute that parish's increasingly salty supply.
The Army Corps of Engineers plans to increase the height of an underwater earthen sill built in July near Alliance in Plaquemines to block the salt water from threatening several water intakes as early as the second week of October.
Ease up on the water buying
Bottled water was flying off the shelves at stores in Orleans and Jefferson parishes, but local leaders say there's no need to stockpile.
In fact, buying up bottled water is hurting the folks that really need it, said Patrick Harvey, Plaquemines' emergency preparedness director.
"The people that really need it in Venice and other parts of Plaquemines are having a hard time getting water," he said. "I compare what's happening to when people started buying all the toilet paper during the COVID (pandemic). They're stockpiling, but they're not impacted."
Stay tuned
As of Friday morning, the area most at risk from the saltwater wedge, which is moving at a rate of about 1½ miles per day, is Belle Chasse. Water treatment plants serving that community are receiving about 100,000 gallons of water per day from Jefferson and may receive more as pipe connections are improved. Local leaders advise residents to keep tabs on government websites, social media and emergency alert systems to stay up-to-date on changing conditions.
Gov. John Bel Edwards and parish leaders plan to give an update on the saltwater wedge and the response to it at around 3 p.m. Friday.
