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New Orleans -- Presently, the
Mississippi River's volume of water flow is at a level
that prevents salt water from intruding upstream into the Mississippi River. The intrusion of salt water
upstream into the Mississippi River is a
naturally occuring periodic condition.
The river's bottom
profile is deeper than the Gulf of Mexico water surface level up to about
15 miles downstream of Natchez,
Mississippi. Denser salt
water flows upstream along the bottom of the River underneath the less
dense fresh river water. Salt water's upriver travel can ultimately affect
municipal drinking water and industrial water supplies.
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 Wedge Intrusion
of salt water in the Mississippi River
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