The heating element removed from Monique Plaisance's water heater in September was disintegrating, streaked with rust and covered in a dry crust. “We're draining the hot water heater every few days to get most, or a good bit, of the salt out of that,” owner Byron Marinovich said. Plaisance's home and Marinovich's restaurant are in the Buras community of rural Plaquemines Parish, roughly 60 miles (about 96 kilometers) southeast of New Orleans and 20 to 30 miles (32 to 48 kilometers) upriver from where the Mississippi flows into the Gulf of Mexico.
Salty problem for people near mouth of the Mississippi is wakeup call for New Orleans go.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from go.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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In the quaint community of Buras, nestled roughly 60 miles southeast of New Orleans, residents like Monique Plaisance and business owners like Byron Marinovich found themselves facing an unexpected adversary this year: their own water supply.
Authorities cite multiple factors for the salt water intrusion. Most prominent this year has been a drought across the Midwest that has meant less water flowing into the Mississippi River.