Alabama senator developing legislation to ban dredge material placement in Mobile Bay

Posted on December 17, 2025

MOBILE, Ala. — Alabama State Sen. Chris Elliott has confirmed he is working on legislation to ban thin layer dredge material placement, a practice that has faced criticism for its environmental impact on the bay’s ecosystem.

It’s called “thin layer placement” — those who are against it call it “mud dumping” and say it’s destroying Mobile Bay’s eco-system.

State Senator Chris Elliot of Baldwin County is among them and says he will be introducing legislation to ban the practice– something environmental group Mobile Baykeeper has been advocating since the Army Corps of Engineers began dredging the ship channel to accommodate larger ships into Mobile’s growing port.

But Tuesday, the executive director of the Alabama Port Authority told NBC 15 News the spreading of the dredge material across the bay is crucial in keeping the port open.

Doug Otto tells NBC15 News the corps is already placing the dredge material in a variety of places, such as shoreline and causeway restoration at Dauphin Island, and a new wetlands project in the Upper Mobile Bay.

But beyond that, he says, there are very few options.

“My primary concern is just keeping the channel open,” he says, “and you have to have options, whether its thin layer, you bring it offshore, beneficial use, upland, so for example here at the port authority we are developing a 1,200 acre beneficial use site where we take our dredge material and make something better with it, make habitat.”

Otto says port officials are planning to meet with Mobile Baykeeper Wednesday– and he expects to meet with Senator Elliot later this week to discuss the issue further.

Mobile Baykeeper sent NBC 15 News a statement regarding Elliot’s proposed legislation, saying quote:

“Over the last several months, we have been actively working on state and federal policies that would end the harms of mud dumping, incentivize beneficial re-use of dredged material, and would not impact Port operations or channel maintenance. So far, these policies haven’t included any negative feedback from anyone involved, including the Port. We look forward to continuing working with the Port over the next few days to end mud dumping once and for all.”