Something is creeping up the Mississippi River that could cause as much devastation as an oversized monster in a 1960s Japanese movie, but much more stealthily.  As the Washington Post reports, a salt (or saltwater) wedge devastates communities on its journey north.

A salt wedge is a type of estuary, a waterway where saltwater from the ocean mixes with the freshwater draining from landmasses.  Salt wedges are typically found in river systems where ocean waters creep up the riverbed during droughts.  Because the upper Mississippi watershed experienced low rainfall this season, the Mississippi salt wedge is currently located about five miles north of Carlisle, Louisiana and is expected to reach Belle Chasse, a community of 10,000, within a week.  It could reach New Orleans around Thanksgiving.

The saltwater behind the wedge causes devastation on the communities in the Mississippi Delta.  Since early June, the region south of the wedge has been on a drinking water advisory because wells have been contaminated with saltwater that has leeched into the water table.  Farms that relied on fresh water from the Mississippi for their crops must now spend thousands of dollars to ship in supplies.  Other farms, such as pecan tree orchards, worry that salt water in the groundwater could kill the trees that took generations to grow.

Residents report skin and eye problems as they use water from their wells or municipal systems that now has salt in it.  Gardens and lawns are dying, and pets have become sick after drinking tap water.  One Belle Chasse restaurant started to secure drinking water supplies two weeks ago in anticipation of high demand.