STORY: Salt water moving up U.S. Mississippi River threatens drinking water supplies
DATELINE: Oct. 2, 2023
LENGTH: 0:02:29
LOCATION: HOUSTON, U.S.
CATEGORY: ENTERTAINMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Mississippi River related footage

STORYLINE:

Salt water moving up the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico is threatening drinking water supplies in and around New Orleans, the biggest city of U.S. state Louisiana, triggering a big concern of potential lead contamination.

As of Friday afternoon, New Orleans' drinking water was safe, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said in a news release.

"We have been and will remain in daily, close coordination with local, regional and state agencies to actively monitor the salt water wedge moving up the Mississippi River," said Cantrell. "The most important thing for residents at this time is to stay informed and remain calm."

The salt water intrusion has already tainted water systems in Plaquemines Parish and is now nearing various water intakes around the New Orleans metro area, according to the office of Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.

The salt water's leading edge is expected to reach St. Bernard on Oct. 19, Algiers on Oct. 22 and Gretna on Oct. 24, said the office.

The problem could make the water undrinkable until at least January, said Collin Arnold, New Orleans' homeland security chief, citing projections from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday approved an emergency declaration in Louisiana in a bid to coordinate federal disaster relief efforts to the salt water intrusion.

Salt water has been slowly flowing north for months due to drought in the Midwest which dropped water levels in the Mississippi River low enough to allow the Gulf of Mexico to creep in.

Salt water can corrode lead pipes and leach heavy metals from the pipes and pipe fittings into drinking water, making the drinking water unsafe and thus posing a health risk, experts say.

About 48 percent of the New Orleans water system was installed before 1940, making many pipes more than 80 years old, according to a report from the local news website NOLA. Lead was a common pipe material until the U.S. banned it in 1986.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Houston, U.S.
(XHTV)