The saltwater wedge threat along the lower Mississippi River has come to an end.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers says the saltwater wedge forecast it released on Thursday will be the last it issues for now. That's because, Corps officials say, the low water conditions on the river that began last June no longer exists.
According to the latest forecast, the saltwater wedge has regressed to river mile 11. Because of this, the Corps does not anticipate any municipal water treatment facilities along the river to experience chloride levels above 250 parts per million, which would render water in those systems undrinkable.
Corps officials say the sill they built to ward off the saltwater wedge has begun to erode. The Corps will continue to survey that site until the sill has eroded to the river bottom.