How about that Mississippi River!?

[tallyho8]

But how much of that water is the Mississippi, and how much is saltwater coming in from the Gulf? I've heard that was becoming a major problem in much of La.

The saltwater is only a problem in a few of the small towns far downriver from New Orleans. Remember, it takes a ship 7 hours to get down the river from New Orleans to the gulf. The river would have to drop a lot more before it became a problem for the main population centers of Louisiana. No one is really worried about that. The Army Core of Engineers can build a dam at the bottom of the river to block the saltwater from advancing too far.

The problem is much worse for states upriver that need to get their grain shipped downriver. Traffic in the lower Mississippi goes on as usual.

 

[jyoutz]

The saltwater is only a problem in a few of the small towns far downriver from New Orleans. Remember, it takes a ship 7 hours to get down the river from New Orleans to the gulf. The river would have to drop a lot more before it became a problem for the main population centers of Louisiana. No one is really worried about that. The Army Core of Engineers can build a dam at the bottom of the river to block the saltwater from advancing too far.

The problem is much worse for states upriver that need to get their grain shipped downriver. Traffic in the lower Mississippi goes on as usual.

Last year I took a boat trip to the Mississippi delta. It was amazing to me that we were 1/2 mile from the Gulf but the river water was fresh, not brackish. That’s how much flow there was then with freshwater fish species at the mouth of the Gulf. With less river flow, those communities in Plaquemines Parish are probably experiencing saltwater intrusion. Sad since they are still recovering from last year’s hurricane season.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

They say when the Mississippi shuts down, the American economy shuts down. Shipping goes upriver too.

 

[MossRoad]

Commodities on the Mississippi River: 2019 | Bureau of Transportation Statistics

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Mississippi River carried more than 500 million short tons of imports, exports, and domestic freight in 2019.

www.bts.gov

 

[Oaktree]

The saltwater is only a problem in a few of the small towns far downriver from New Orleans. Remember, it takes a ship 7 hours to get down the river from New Orleans to the gulf. The river would have to drop a lot more before it became a problem for the main population centers of Louisiana. No one is really worried about that. The Army Core of Engineers can build a dam at the bottom of the river to block the saltwater from advancing too far.

Good to hear a different view from someone who actually lives there. The news reports make it sound like it's much further upstream than that.