Photo credit: www.cbsnews.com
Communities situated along the freshwater Mississippi River are grappling with an escalating threat from saltwater making its way upstream from the Gulf of Mexico. This intrusion has significantly impacted public drinking water systems for thousands, devastated a once-flourishing seafood sector, and raised alarms regarding the safety of drinking water in New Orleans.
“This is our primary water source,” remarked Mitch Jurisich, a third-generation oysterman and a local council member in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana’s southernmost parish, about an hour’s drive from New Orleans. He described the ongoing challenges posed by saltwater intrusion.
“It has eliminated our public oyster grounds to the east of the river and pushed many into poverty,” Jurisich shared.
Historically, saltwater intrusion was a rare occurrence in this region, happening only once every decade. However, Jurisich noted that it has occurred for the past three consecutive summers, prompting the parish to brace for another potential event.
In the wake of these recent salty summers, the fresh water supply for about 23,000 residents in Plaquemines Parish has been compromised. Even though salt concentrations have been low in recent months, Jurisich highlighted the lasting and damaging effects of saltwater.
The corrosive saltwater is causing the parish’s water supply pipes to rust and burst underground, leading to frequent maintenance issues and diminished water pressure for residents in various neighborhoods. Jurisich explained that sometimes, the water flow is so weak that it becomes difficult to take a shower.
Additionally, there are concerns about lead pipes corroding and leaching harmful lead levels into the households connected to them, a situation that the parish is closely monitoring.
Addressing the broken pipes and constructing stronger infrastructure to enhance the parish’s resilience to saltwater intrusion would require roughly $200 million, according to Jurisich.
Plaquemines Parish serves as a troubling example of the severity of saltwater intrusion challenges. Other coastal cities across the globe, including locations in the U.S. like Philadelphia, are encountering similar threats.
When asked about advice for other cities facing these issues, Jurisich stated, “You won’t be ready until you’re impacted. It’s similar to people who ignore the threat of a snake until bitten … Cities need to prepare now if they observe this trend.” He revealed that Plaquemines Parish has developed a 10-year upgrade plan to tackle the saltwater challenges, but securing grants for these projects has been difficult, particularly amid recent federal budget cuts.
“Water is essential. Power is a luxury,” Jurisich emphasized.
Numerous studies from global researchers, including those from the University of Arizona and Tulane University, indicate that factors like drought, rising sea levels, severe storms, and river dredging contribute to the increased frequency and extent of saltwater intrusion.
According to a spokesperson for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, saltwater intrusion began occurring regularly in southern Louisiana during the 1980s, following a dredging project aimed at improving access to the port of New Orleans. In 2023, saltwater from the Mississippi River advanced dangerously close to New Orleans, putting the city’s water supply at risk and triggering a state of emergency. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration termed this situation an “unprecedented double water crisis.”
In response, the Corps of Engineers constructed an underwater barrier known as a “sill” to prevent further saltwater incursion.
“This barrier stops the saltwater from reaching the intakes for major metropolitan areas, like New Orleans and Saint Bernard,” explained Corps of Engineers spokesperson Ricky Boyett.
However, Boyett noted that the sill degrades over time, necessitating a rebuild scheduled for the fall of 2024 to avert future water crises in New Orleans.
The situation in New Orleans is critical. City leaders have expressed concerns that the existing, fragile drinking water infrastructure might struggle to handle the repercussions should the 2024 sill fail.
Just prior to the influx of tens of thousands of Super Bowl visitors to New Orleans, neighborhoods faced yet another boil water notice due to frequent surges and outages in water treatment systems.
A representative for the city highlighted the urgent need for enhanced data collection and risk assessment regarding drinking water resilience, along with exploring solutions such as a desalination facility to safeguard water sources.
With an estimated $9 billion in annual tourism revenue within New Orleans, Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser emphasized the necessity for a more permanent solution to protect the city’s water and infrastructure.
“The temporary fixes wash away in six months. We must construct land ridges and islands to give our coast a fighting chance against increasingly severe hurricanes,” Nungesser stated.
Nungesser also warned that if saltwater levels were to rise in New Orleans as they did in Plaquemines Parish, it would lead to a catastrophic scenario that could effectively paralyze the city.
Another concern surrounding the sill is its location deeper in the river, making Plaquemines Parish vulnerable to saltwater whenever intrusion occurs. In response, the Corps has provided specialized reverse osmosis filtration systems to assist Plaquemines Parish.
While these filtration systems are effective, Jurisich stressed their high costs and ongoing maintenance demands. “It’s very expensive and requires specialized personnel to maintain,” he noted.
Nungesser, however, argues that a more promising solution would be to enhance the Mississippi River’s flow by filling in crevasses along its banks, a request that state and local officials have been making for over a decade. Recently, the Corps announced plans to fill one particularly problematic crevasse that had begun disrupting navigation for trade ships heading toward the New Orleans port.
When questioned about the impetus for this action, Boyett stated, “We prioritized addressing it once it started affecting navigation, as that aligns with our authority.”
In a statement to CBS News, Boyett elaborated on the forthcoming proposal, which is set for construction in the upcoming summer, explaining that they aim to restore Neptune Pass to its 2018 conditions before it began expanding rapidly in 2019.
A satellite comparison from NASA illustrates the widening of Neptune Pass over recent years.
As New Orleans accounts for 40 million metric tons of exports annually from the Mississippi River—the largest shipping corridor in the U.S.—Boyett acknowledged the need for a careful balance between managing the saltwater intrusion, ensuring the viability of the drinking water supply, and maintaining river access for shipping.
To achieve this balance, the Corps is committing $20 million for a five-year study devoted to scrutinizing the entire Mississippi River. A significant segment of this comprehensive study will focus on identifying viable long-term strategies to address the issue of saltwater intrusion.
“Currently, we are evaluating a wide array of alternatives to determine which solutions to advance within the study, or if some may require separate studies to assess their feasibility,” Boyett stated.
Yet, Lt. Governor Nungesser believes southern Louisiana cannot afford to wait for the study’s completion.
“People should be outraged by the Corps’ lack of responsiveness thus far,” Nungesser asserted.
Meanwhile, Byron Marinovich, owner of Black Velvet Oyster Bar & Grill in Plaquemines Parish, is not planning to wait. He shared that saltwater has damaged his restaurant’s appliances, harmed plants, and even caused clothing tears.
“We’re considering relocating,” Marinovich stated. “Having unreliable access to clean water is a major concern.”
He lamented the recent need to purchase a new ice machine for the third time in just 15 years, which cost him around $5,600.
Contrastingly, Jurisich expressed his commitment to the area, saying, “I’m not moving; this is my home.”
Source
www.cbsnews.com