Posted on March 25, 2024
Magnolia Beach in Fairhope has suffered major erosion for years.
Richard Johnson with Fairhope Public Works said it’s time to fix the problem and save the beach.
“It’s been an ongoing problem for more than a few years, for over probably a decade if not longer, and we have had to spend a good deal of money and labor and manpower to renourish, meaning we are putting sand back on the beach that is eroded away,” Johnson said.
In a recent city council meeting, officials accepted a grant from the Gulf of Mexico Energy and Securities Act to pay for a restoration project.
“We are going to not only restore the beach, but we are going to put in some structures that are unintrusive to the water and the use of the waterways that will help keep the sand in place,” Johnson said.
Johnson said a breakwater will be used in this project, which is an offshore structure to help lower the intensity and force of waves.
“The biggest thing is we could have a spring storm and one afternoon there is a beach there, and the next morning there is not a beach there,” Johnson said. “This will end that. It’ll keep a pretty great beach profile and a nice and easy into the interface of the water.”
Johnson says the project will begin summer 2025.
