The Army Corps of Engineers says it will construct an underwater sill in the Mississippi River to stop salt water from threatening drinking water supplies in the New Orleans area.
The move is needed because water levels in the drought-stricken Mississippi have gotten so low that the river is nearly at sea level and this is allowing salt water from the Gulf of Mexico to move far inland.
At the latest check on Monday, salt water was on the outskirts of New Orleans.
The Army Corps is expected to issue bids on Tuesday to get work started on building a sill designed to stop the salt water from moving upriver and affecting freshwater intakes for Belle Chasse, a town in Plaquemines Parish south of New Orleans.