Mississippi River water levels plummet due to drought, exposing shipwreck

Barges have been stranded on the Mississippi River due to falling water levels from drought. Nearly the whole stretch of the river has seen below-average rainfall.

According to NASA, some parts have seen levels drop more than over the course of a decade, raising concerns that saltwater intrusions could affect water supplies. A man walking along the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, La., stops to look at a shipwreck revealed by the low water level, Oct. 17, 2022. ((AP Photo/Sara Cline, File)) People walk toward Tower Rock to check out the attraction normally surrounded by the Mississippi River and only accessible by boat, Oct. 19, 2022, in Perry County, Mo. ((AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)) Ducks fly past the Carrollton Gauge which is used by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to monitor water levels on the Mississippi River, Oct. 20, 2022, in New Orleans.  ((Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)) James Isaacks walks where the normally wide Mississippi River would flow, Oct. 20, 2022, near Portageville, Mo. ((AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)) Exposed ground is seen in a dried up river bed where the normally wide Mississippi River would flow, Oct. 20, 2022, near Portageville, Mo.  ( (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)) A barge maneuvers its way down the normally wide Mississippi River where it has been reduced to a narrow trickle Oct. 20, 2022, at Tiptonville, Tenn. ((AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)) Julia Musto is a reporter for Fox News and Fox Business Digital. 

Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish has declared a state of emergency and issued a drinking water advisory due to the intrusion.