The US Army Corps of Engineers is planning to barge 36 million gallons of freshwater daily into the lower Mississippi River near New Orleans as saltwater intrusion from the Gulf of Mexico continues to threaten drinking water supply, officials said Friday.
The move comes as water levels are plummeting for the second consecutive year after this summer’s blistering heat and low rainfall triggered extreme drought over parts of the central US.
As water levels drop, the threat of saltwater intrusion grows in Louisiana as ocean water pushes north into drinking water systems, unimpeded by the Mississippi’s normally mighty flow rate.
The Mississippi River is forecast to reach “historic lows over the next several weeks,” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said during a Friday news conference.
I’m flashing back to some story on 60 Minutes some time last century about the dykes in the Netherlands. The intervieer was discussing the magnitude of the system, and was asking if such an approach would work for New Orleans. The senior manager-ish person being asked, said something along the lines of:
This is something that certainly be accomplished from an engineering standpoint; the main requirement is the political will to do so.
That stuck with me.
A show about engineering to solve water problems in Italy were both inspiring and heartbreaking to me ,being here in the usa. We really are so far behind ,and more than a little scrubby.
Capitalism and Reaganomics, Citizens United , was the beginning of our decline. It’s all been fast food culture since. I hate not feeling proud of where I live.