The Department of Homeland Security is working to slow a mass inflow of salt water that is threatening drinking water in the Mississippi River in the southern part of the state because of drought in Louisiana.

According to a news release from the White House, President Joseph Biden’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts. Additionally, the declaration will allow for more equipment, resources, and federal money to address the saltwater intrusion.

“I’m grateful to the Biden administration for making this request a priority and responding quickly to help the people of South Louisiana,” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a news release Wednesday.

For the second consecutive year, salt water from the Gulf of Mexico has moved further up the Mississippi, threatening drinking water in communities that rely on the river for fresh water. 

Typically, the river’s mighty flow keeps mass amounts of salt water from reaching too far inland, but hot and dry conditions across the country this summer triggered drought that slowed the Mississippi’s flow and lowered its water levels.

In parts of Plaquemines Parish, the southeast corner of Louisiana that encompasses the final stretch of the Mississippi River before it reaches the Gulf of Mexico, residents have relied on bottled water for cooking and drinking since June.

Drinking water advisories have been issued for some communities in the parish, warning people that water is unsafe to drink, especially for people with kidney disease, high blood pressure, those on a low-sodium diet, infants, and pregnant women.

Now, the salt water is moving further upriver and will likely reach Orleans, St. Bernard, and Jefferson parishes by mid-to-late October, officials say.