NEW ORLEANS — President Joe Biden has declared that an emergency exists in Louisiana over the saltwater intrusion in the Mississippi River that threatens drinking water to possibly hundreds of thousands of residents over the next couple of months.
The declaration will provide federal dollars for the multi-pronged approach to providing safe, drinkable water to the residents.
People living in the southern part of Plaquemines Parish already are feeling the impacts and the wedge is moving slowly upriver to possibly impact the northern part of the parish, then St. Bernard, Algiers and the east bank of New Orleans.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said that the declaration provides for 75% of funding for the projects.
Among the ideas underway and under discussion include bringing down barges of fresh water to dilute the salted water from the Gulf of Mexico, underwater sills to slow the progression of the wedge, reverse osmosis machines to take the salt out of the water and pipelines to parts of the river further up north, down to New Orleans.
Many parishes have been sharing water and plans among each other.
At the New Orleans city council Wednesday, discussions were being held about a pipeline that would connect to an area north of Kenner. It would take 28 to 45 days to implement and cost around $300 million. On the positive side, it could be kept in place for possible future emergencies.
According to the declaration, "The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, to coordinate all disaster relief efforts."
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards shared his appreciation for the declaration in a statement shortly after Biden's approval.
“I’m grateful to the Biden administration for making this request a priority and responding quickly to help the people of South Louisiana," said Gov. Edwards. “Efforts to mitigate the impact of the saltwater intrusion are currently underway and other projects are being considered based on the projections being received from the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). This 90-day approval of our Emergency Declaration will help our state and local partners with the costs of any mitigation efforts and protective measures. As this event unfolds, we will continue to analyze the emergency efforts and impacts to determine if further requests will be necessary.”