Biden to send disaster assistance to Louisiana, as salt water threatens the state’s drinking water

By SARA CLINE
Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — President Joe Biden has announced federal disaster assistance for Louisiana, which is working to slow a mass inflow of salt water creeping up the Mississippi River and threatening drinking water supplies in the southern part of the state. Biden’s emergency declaration will allow for more equipment, resources and federal money to address the saltwater intrusion. Typically, the river’s mighty flow keeps mass amounts of salt water from reaching too far inland, but hot and dry conditions across the country this summer triggered drought that slowed the Mississippi’s flow and lowered its water levels. In parts of Plaquemines Parish residents have relied on bottled water for cooking and drinking since June.