Posted on September 23, 2026
By Taylor Boysen
FAIRHOPE, Ala. (WKRG) – The Mobile Bay waves are still rolling into Fairhope’s Magnolia Beach, and so are some changes to the shoreline; look around, and you’ll see things look a little different.
Fairhope’s City Engineer Richard Johnson said this restoration project was much needed, following years of erosion along the Eastern Shore.
“It really was a result of the back-to-back hurricanes of Ivan and Katrina in 2004 and 2005, and the erosion just it just would not relent,” Johnson said. “We kept adding sand, in the sand would go away. We kept doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.”
He said it was time to try something new.
“We installed some breakwaters that will keep this beach here, help it retain its sand. You got to remember the water used to be about where that grass is. About 550,000 cubic yards of pit sand was used to nourish the beach,” Johnson explained. “Hopefully we won’t have to bring any more in anytime in the future.”
The work started in June and was fully funded through a Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act grant. Now, everyone is out enjoying the upgrades.
That’s something that Johnson says makes it all worth it.
“When you do something like this, and you come out and see all the footprints in the sand, and it’s not just people’s footprints, it’s the birds and the other wildlife, it just makes you feel really good that people enjoy and use it,” he said.
City leaders said they hope people will come out and continue to enjoy the walk along the Magnolia Beach for many generations to come.
