Posted on April 29, 2024
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mobile District routinely creates value from dredged sediments through beneficial uses such as beach nourishment, enhancing wetland habitat, and brownfield reconstruction.
The Mobile Harbor dredging project aims to deepen the federal navigation channel 5 feet from the Gulf of Mexico through Mobile Bay and into Mobile Harbor. Deepening the channel will keep Mobile Harbor competitive with other ports in the Gulf and the country.
With interest in the beneficial use of dredged sediments at an all-time high, the timing is now to increase beneficial use.
“Today, our current goal is to reach 70 percent of our dredged material being used for beneficial use,” said Herbert Bullock, Dredge Material Project Manager for USACE Mobile District. “It can reduce dredging costs for the Mobile District.”
In February 2024, the District entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with Mobile County to use dredged material from the Mobile Harbor Deepening project beneficially.
“Partnering with other agencies greatly helps us overcome challenges,” said Bullock. “Several beneficial use projects are too small for the corps to participate feasibly.”
The dredge material from the Mobile Harbor project will be used for the Dauphin Island Causeway Shoreline and Habitat Restoration Project, which Mobile County is currently constructing.
“The Dauphin Island Causeway Shoreline & Habitat Restoration project was identified early in the planning process for Mobile Harbor as a viable and feasible project for beneficial use. Due to its location, objectives, and importance to the community,” said Mary Beth Sullivan, USACE Mobile District project manager.
This material will help construct breakwaters to enhance, protect, and improve the resiliency of the marsh and oyster habitat adjacent to the Dauphin Island Causeway.
“The goal of the project is to stabilize the shoreline along the Bay side of the Dauphin Island Causeway and to create wetland and coastal habitat,” said Sullivan. “Dredged material placement is expected to begin in Summer 2024.”
