Public health, infrastructure and farming can be impacted by saltwater intrusion. Experts say it's a problem that could happen more frequently in the future.
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00:00 Below the surface of the Mississippi River, a saltwater wedge is inching its way north.
00:06 It's a major problem, but I think it's one that we're going to see more and more often.
00:10 Experts fear saltwater intrusion could start happening in more places more often.
00:16 As climate changes, we're having more droughts, longer droughts, more intense droughts,
00:22 and so of course, you know, that's going to sort of pull that saltwater up as well.
00:28 Storm surge and rising sea levels can also push saltwater farther into tidal rivers.
00:34 Holly Michael with the Delaware Environmental Institute says saltwater intrusion can damage infrastructure and underground pipes.
00:42 It can also affect your appliances, so dishwashers and things like that can corrode as a result of elevated salinity levels.
00:51 The more salt that one takes in, the greater the risk of dehydration.
00:55 Dr. Benjamin Springate at LSU Health New Orleans says high salinity levels in drinking water can be a serious threat to people with medical conditions.
01:05 A lot of people who have high blood pressure, who have congestive heart failure, who have kidney disease in our part of the country,
01:12 and many of those folks already struggle day-to-day with monitoring their salt intake.
01:18 Saltwater intrusion into rivers and even underground aquifers can jeopardize the landscape and farming.
01:25 Salinizing our farm fields and causing some crops to die, causing ghost forests, which are dead trees in the marsh as marshes move inland.
01:36 Experts say it's a challenge that coastal cities should prepare for in the future.
01:42 For AccuWeather, I'm Bill Waddell.
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