New Orleans faces threat to drinking water

Axios - Saltwater creeping up the Mississippi River is threatening the drinking water supply in New Orleans, Axios' Chelsea Brasted and Carlie Kollath Wells report. The water supply for more than 1.2 million people is expected to become unsafe to drink by late October. It could be weeks or months before freshwater returns, unless there's significant rainfall. President Biden declared a national emergency.

A drought across the Mississippi River Valley means saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico is coming upriver. Communities south of New Orleans have had salt in their water since June. A massive reverse osmosis machine that desalinates water is being installed in Plaquemines Parish, just southeast of New Orleans. Two more machines are on the way. But these units won't be able to produce enough water to meet the demand in metro New Orleans.