Posted on March 26, 2025
FAIRHOPE — Officials held a public meeting last week to discuss work for restoration and stabilization efforts at Magnolia Beach Park.
For the past two decades, Magnolia Beach has experienced repeated erosion that has required costly sand replenishments. Thomas “Beau” Buhring, PE, of Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC), the engineering group behind the restoration project, presented an overview and explained data his group has collected regarding weather and climate conditions that have affected the erosion process.
According to the data, waves and wind that circulate in the area have pushed sand south during the winter and north during the summer. However, the northern waves and wind are significantly stronger, and because of better erosion controls inland, no new sand is coming into the bay, while sea level has been rising as well.
The solution they showed was a shoreline stabilization project located at the north end of Magnolia Beach Park that includes an offshore breakwater system along with a major beach nourishment project with the intent to stabilize the beach’s shoreline while also providing better protection for the surrounding infrastructure. A rendering of the proposed new beachline was shown during the meeting, giving Magnolia Beach a vastly different shoreline compared to what it currently looks like.
According to a March 2024 report by Gulf Coast Media, the city received a $620,000 GoMESA grant for the project, which overall was estimated at a price tag of $700,000, including the construction of two breakwaters made of natural materials to reduce wave action and encourage sand accumulation. The city was responsible for $80,000 in post-project monitoring costs. GoMESA funnels money from offshores oil and gas production in the Gulf to four participating Gulf states.
City representatives said they hope the project can be completed as soon as the end of this year if the process goes smoothly and permits for the Army Corps of Engineer can be obtained.
