The saltwater wedge is continuing to creep up the Mississippi River , but it isn’t expected to reach New Orleans or threaten its water supply.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said that, thanks to a brief increase in the flow of the river over the last week, the salt water was pushed back a few miles, to just south of Myrtle Grove in Plaquemines Parish, where the agency is building an underwater sill to prevent the salt water from moving further upriver.

Corps spokesperson Ricky Boyett said on Wednesday that construction of the sill is nearly complete and will be finished by Oct. 12. The salt water is expected to reach the sill by Oct. 18.

“We still need rain in the river valleys,” Boyett said. “The sooner the better.”

A saltwater wedge is the phenomenon of salt water moving up the M

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