NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineering will build an underwater sill across the bed of the Mississippi River to prevent the flow of salt water from the Gulf of Mexico into the river.
Officials with the USACE New Orleans District made the announcement on Wednesday, July 5.
The need for the sill comes after a fall in the river’s water level, allowing salt water to flow in and potentially impact drinking water and industrial water supplies. Officials said this process happens naturally as the riverbed between Natchez, Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico is below sea level.
To help reduce the amount of salt water flowing into the river, the USACE will construct an underwater barrier sill near Myrtle Grove designed to stop its upriver movement. Officials said it will be made from sediment taken from a riverbed specifically for this purpose.
The sill is estimated to be completed in a span of two weeks but will reportedly start producing benefits during the construction process.
They also said the sill has been constructed in previous years, with the most recent being October of 2022.
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