People have begun to panic buy bottled water ever since the announcement of an anticipated saltwater intrusion headed up the Mississippi River was announced. Lieutenant General Russell Honore said this could severely impact local water systems in southeast Louisiana.
“This could turn into a major disaster, where we have nearly 900,000 people, without water, which is the concentration of population of south Louisiana,” said Honore.
The City of New Orleans has already declared a state of emergency.
Honore said the Army Corps of Engineers has done some ingenuous work in trying to put a submersible type of levee to block the saltwater from intruding north, but the initial attempt did not work, and they are adding more materials.
“The other thing the Corps is doing is moving millions of gallons of fresh water from upriver by barge and dumping it at the intake to the water system that affects Orleans and Plaquemines Parishes,” said Honore.
In addition to local water systems, Honore is worried the saltwater could corrode pipes at oil refineries along the Mississippi River. Honore said you can bring in bottled water and you can bring in desalination units…
“But then we’re going to have to be asked to conserve water. We’ll probably have to go into water conservation mode and cut off water to golf courses and pools, and stop watering lawns if we don’t conserve water,” said Honore.
Honore encourages residents not to panic but to remain aware of the situation.
Comments