Environment

When rainfall will drive back salt water in the Mississippi River is still a guessing game

By MARK SCHLEIFSTEIN and ROSHAUN HIGGINS | Staff writers
7 hrs ago

A complex combination of daily weather events and long-term climate issues have combined to cloud efforts to predict when the wedge of salt water threatening New Orleans-area water supplies wi…

Veterans of disaster, many in Plaquemines Parish undaunted by saltwater intrusion

BY FAIMON A. ROBERTS III | Staff writer
22 hrs ago

Maneuvering through the cramped kitchen of DJ’s One Stop in Pointe a La Hache Friday, Ashara Feloss?worked her way to the corner where several gallons of bottled water had been set down.

Flamingo sightings reported near Bayou Sauvage refuge in New Orleans. See photos.

By KASEY BUBNASH | Staff writer
22 hrs ago

Alerting all birders! At least one flamingo was spotted in New Orleans on Friday morning, and it wasn't within the gates of the Audubon Zoo.?

Biden administration calls for 3 oil and gas auctions in 5 years, all in Gulf of Mexico

BY ROBERT STEWART | Staff writer
Updated 18 hrs ago

More than a year after the initial draft was released, the Biden administration’s latest five-year plan for offshore drilling calls for a maximum of three oil and gas auctions in the next five…

Resources

Lead contamination could rise as salt water enters New Orleans-area water systems

BY TRISTAN BAURICK | Staff writer
Sep 29, 2023

There’s growing concern that the impending intrusion of salt water in the region’s drinking water systems could trigger a spike in lead contamination, especially in New Orleans where lead pipe…

20,000-acre carbon capture hub planned for Calcasieu, Beauregard parishes

BY ROBERT STEWART | Staff writer
Updated Sep 28, 2023

A Houston midstream firm and a Mississippi timberland management company are partnering on a carbon capture hub in southwest Louisiana, the two businesses announced Thursday.

Live updates: Salt water tracker shows latest location of intrusion near New Orleans

Staff report
Updated Sep 28, 2023

An intrusion of salt water moving up the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico is threatening local drinking water supplies.?

Everything you need to know about salt water moving inland in Louisiana, including a live tracker

Staff report
Sep 28, 2023

Salt water is creeping up the mouth of the Mississippi River and threatening the drinking supply of several parishes in Southeast Louisiana, including the city and suburbs of New Orleans.

Key permit for big Koch Methanol expansion approved; some residents fear pollution risk

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL | Staff writer
Updated 20 hrs ago

The St. James Parish Council unanimously approved a plan to expand the Koch Methanol complex's production capacity by 25% after plant workers spoke to its safety and economic importance, while…

White House declares emergency, pipeline planned as salt threatens drinking water

By MIKE SMITH | Staff writer
Sep 27, 2023

The White House declared an emergency Wednesday for four Louisiana parishes threatened by salt intrusion in drinking water and officials warned that barges would be insufficient to deal with t…

Why is Louisiana so parched? Drought expert says it's a perfect storm of heat and dryness

BY ROSHAUN HIGGINS | Staff writer
Sep 27, 2023

In general, places don't get much wetter than Louisiana. Much of the state is wetlands, and warm, humid air regularly blows in from the Gulf of Mexico, often bringing thunderstorms. And, most …

New Orleans preparing for three months of salt water in drinking water supply

By MIKE SMITH | Staff writer
Sep 27, 2023

New Orleans may need to deal with?salt threatening local drinking water supplies for as long as three months, meaning through January according to current forecasts, a top city official said W…

Water barges won't be enough for salt water intrusion in east bank New Orleans, Jefferson

By MIKE SMITH | Staff writer
Sep 27, 2023

Water barges will be insufficient to deal with salt intrusion at New Orleans' Carrolton plant and for the east bank of Jefferson Parish and construction of a pipeline to deliver water from fur…

Cantrell: Biden administration has issued disaster declaration on saltwater intrusion

By JERRY DICOLO | Staff writer
Sep 27, 2023

Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Wednesday said President Joe Biden has moved forward with a federal disaster declaration for the saltwater intrusion moving up the Mississippi River, adding that state…

Salt water intrusion threat prompts federal emergency declaration in 4 Louisiana parishes

BY MARK SCHLEIFSTEIN | Staff writer
Sep 27, 2023

President Joe Biden has granted Gov. John Bel Edwards' request for an emergency declaration in Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes because of the threat of salt water cont…

See how a sill on the Mississippi riverbed slows salt water, allows ships to pass

Staff report
Sep 27, 2023

When it was first constructed in July, the sill at the bottom of the Mississippi River north of Myrtle Grove in Plaquemines Parish gave the river a uniform depth of about 60 feet. The idea was…

Rezoning request withdrawn for land on Pearl River island

By JONI HESS | Staff writer
Sep 26, 2023

A request to rezone?15 acres of Pearl River wetlands have been withdrawn?following residents' concerns that it would have opened the door for residential development in an area that locals say…

Salt water in the river: Will a government shutdown complicate the response?

By MIKE SMITH | Staff writer
Sep 26, 2023

Congress and the White House must meet a Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government. But the Corps' efforts to protect drinking water fall under a different category.

How to know where your drinking water comes from as salt water threatens New Orleans

By KASEY BUBNASH | Staff writer
Sep 26, 2023

Local leaders say its becoming increasingly important for Louisiana residents in the New Orleans area to know where their drinking water comes from as salt water from the Gulf of Mexico creeps…

Gov. John Bel Edwards requests federal emergency declaration for saltwater intrusion

BY WILL NICKEL | Staff writer
Sep 25, 2023

Governor John Bel Edwards said Monday evening that he has submitted a request for a?Federal Emergency Declaration to help combat the intrusion of salt water up the Mississippi River.

Appeals court gives feds more time for Gulf of Mexico oil auction; here's when it will be

BY ROBERT STEWART | Staff writer
Updated Sep 26, 2023

A New Orleans-based appeals court has given the Biden administration more time to hold the next Gulf of Mexico oil and gas auction, though it rebuffed the federal government's attempt to block…

Why Baton Rouge's drinking water isn't at risk from salt water like New Orleans' is

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL | Staff writer
Sep 25, 2023

A wedge of saltwater is moving up the Mississippi River a mile and half each day, but the largest Baton Rouge-area drinking water provider says their customers' drinking water will be fine.

Work begins to raise barrier against salt water pushing up Mississippi, threatening water supplies

BY TRISTAN BAURICK and BEN MYERS | Staff writers
Sep 25, 2023

Work to elevate a saltwater barrier in the lower Mississippi River has begun, but it will only stall rather than halt the creeping threat to water supplies in the New Orleans area.??

After summer's extreme weather, more Americans see climate change as a culprit, AP-NORC poll shows

By TAMMY WEBBER and LINLEY SANDERS | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sep 25, 2023

Kathleen Maxwell has lived in Phoenix for more than 20 years, but this summer was the first time she felt fear, as daily high temperatures soared to 110 degrees or hotter and kept it up for a …

Sea turtles have been returning to these Louisiana islands, but extreme heat may be an issue

BY MARK SCHLEIFSTEIN | Staff writer
Sep 25, 2023

Endangered?Kemp’s Ridley?sea turtles scrambling from their nests on?Northern Chandeleur Island?to the nearby Gulf of Mexico were documented for the second time this summer, indicating that the…

Underreporting of Olin leak called a breach of trust; $600K settlement keeps answers secret

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL | Staff writer
Sep 25, 2023

An Olin Chemical subsidiary that had a large chlorine leak and fire last year near Plaquemine, sending 39 people to the hospital, has agreed to pay $600,000 to state regulators to settle alleg…

No new levee authority money for Lakefront Management Authority — yet

BY MARK SCHLEIFSTEIN | Staff writer
Sep 24, 2023

After Hurricane Katrina, officials passed sweeping reforms to the byzantine governance structure of the boards overseeing southeastern Louisiana’s levees.

A saltwater wedge is on its way. How will it affect our lives?

By GABRIELLA KILLETT | Staff writer
Updated Sep 23, 2023

From drinking and bathing to watering plants, here's what to know?