Let’s plan to
create wetlands.
Upper Mobile Bay Wetland Creation Project Slated to Receive RESTORE Funding
Port Authority Signs USACE Permit to Begin Construction
The Alabama Port Authority shared two major developments for the Upper Mobile Bay Wetlands Project—the only dedicated beneficial use site in Mobile Bay for maintenance dredge material from the ship channel.
First, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) announced today that the project is slated to receive $24 million in RESTORE Act funding. In addition to the funding, the Port has signed its U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) permit to begin construction. The new site will create hundreds of acres of wetlands south of the Causeway, turning eligible dredged material into restored habitat that benefits fisheries, wildlife, and coastal resilience..
The purpose of the Upper Mobile Bay Beneficial Use Wetlands Creation Project is to use dredge material to build 1,200 acres of wetlands south of the Causeway.
This project will ensure that some of the sediments dredged from the Upper Mobile Bay area are used beneficially to help restore our coastal wetland habitats. Utilizing dredged sediment to create wetlands rather than upland management or open-water placement is a wise use of this valuable Alabama natural resource. Benefits resulting from this wetland creation project will include improved water quality, more habitat for living coastal and marine organisms, and implementation of improved dredging practices that support navigation-related commerce and thus the region’s economy.
Proposed conceptual design layout and cross section showing wetland habitat creation.
Source: Moffatt & Nichol, 2021
About this Project
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Updates
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Funding Partners
This planning Project is funded by the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf States Act (RESTORE Act) – Bucket 2. It is a Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council-approved project that is sponsored and managed by the Alabama State Port Authority (ASPA). The ASPA received a $2.5 million grant to implement the planning needed for the project, and is slated to receive $24 million for construction.
RESTORE Act
This project is paid for (in part) with federal funding from the Department of the Treasury under the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE ACT). The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Treasury.
