NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A rice and crawfish farming region on the low-lying southwest Louisiana coast has declared a state of emergency because a large freshwater basin farmers rely on for irrigation is being spoiled by salt water from the Gulf of Mexico.
On Monday, Vermilion Parish pleaded for help from state and federal officials to prevent the salt water from fouling the Mermentau River basin, a 700-square-mile area of mostly freshwater marsh.
Salt water intrusion is a growing problem in Louisiana since the state is losing its shoreline buffer against the Gulf.