The New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board is working on plans to literally stay ahead of the saltwater intrusion up the Mississippi River. And those plans are not temporary, either.
New Orleans officials, along with Jefferson Parish authorities, are talking about building a water intake pipeline as far up the river as Kenner.
"The tactic, the strategy we're taking right now is drawing water further upriver," New Orleans Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director Collin Arnold told members of a New Orleans City Council committee. And he said there is no reason for this pipeline to be temporary either.
"Once this is over this year, with some effort, we can make this permanent," he said of efforts to secure New Orleans' future water needs. "This is an opportunity actually to correct this situation before it impacts the larger water districts in the region, and it’s a potential permanent solution as far as being able to utilize this in future years should this happen again.”
The estimated price tag is up to $200 million.
In the meantime, the Sewerage and Water Board's Steve Nelson says they're working on a water quality master plan.
"That will involve discussions and investigation on issues related to saltwater intrusion, but the effects of climate change in general, because this may not be the only issue we face," said Nelson "We want to be able to plan for multiple different scenarios.
USACE
