A higher underwater levee and some rain in the Midwest are providing more good news in the fight to keep saltwater out Southeast Louisiana's drinking water systems.
USACE
The new US Army Corps of Engineer's outlook shows the saltwater intrusion will not impact most of the region.
Algiers is now included in the areas that the salty water will not reach.
The Corps also pushed the timeline back by a couple of weeks from Belle Chasse through St. Bernard.
According to the new timeline, the earliest next impact would be October 27th in Belle Chasse.
Officials had previously though that water intakes all the way to Kenner would be impacted by water too salty to safely drink.
The Corps has now increased the height of the sill to just 30 feet from the water's surface to block most of the approaching, heavier, saltwater.
"The augmentation of the underwater sill is operationally complete. The sill is now -30 feet, meaning the top of the sill is 30 feet below water," the USACE posted. "When originally built in July 2023, the sill was -55. The USACE New Orleans District built the sill higher to slow down saltwater intrusion due to low levels in the Mississippi River."
