Posted on December 3, 2025
MOBILE, Ala. — Finding innovative and unique ways to repurpose or use readily available materials is a good way to ensure sustainability and save money.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, in partnership with the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) and USACE’s Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), uses the dredged material from the Mobile Bay to assist the environment.
ERDC used dredged material or sediment from the bay to make an oyster reef using a 3-D printer. The Mobile District and MBNEP assisted in deploying it at an oyster farm on the Mon Louis Beach in Dauphin Island, Alabama.
The reef will serve as habitat for oysters in Dauphin Island. It will be another beneficial use of sediment dredged from Mobile Bay.
Valerie Morrow, Mobile District Dredge Material Program Manager, said that the project is meaningful to both the District and MBNEP.
“The 3-D Oyster Reef project holds significant value for the Mobile District and MBNEP due to its innovative approach to addressing the challenge of reusing fine-grained material,” Morrow said. “As a ‘proof-of-concept’ initiative, this project lays the groundwork for future beneficial use of fine-grained dredge material. This project would also establish a consistent use of dredge material from the Mobile Uplands placement area.”
The reef was 3D-printed from dredged material from the Mobile Harbor federal navigation channel and deployed to the farm on October 20.
The reef is being monitored for structural integrity and for oyster and other aquatic life colonization.
Alan Kennedy, a research biologist with the USACE ERDC environmental laboratory, said the oyster reef project demonstrates one of many innovative uses of dredged sediment.
“Our project, funded by the USACE Regional Sediment Management program, is meeting innovative milestones to prototype, deploy, and demonstrate useful structures for coastal protection and habitat made from dredged sediment, a critical resource USACE has readily available,” Kennedy said. “This has mutual benefits: first, as an innovative and low-cost construction material available on-site and on-demand; and second, since the Army Corps has mission objectives to expand beneficial use opportunities for sediment it must dredge to maintain critical navigation needed for commerce in and out of the Nation’s Ports and Harbors.”
Henry Perkins, Mobile Bay NEP Private Sector Program lead, said the partnership with the Mobile District and ERDC benefits everyone involved.
“What makes this project so exciting is not just that it furthers beneficial use of dredge material, which is the ultimate goal, but it shows how different entities can work together to move science forward,” Perkins said. “It shows how this sort of collaboration improves the management of our natural resources for everyone.”
Morrow said that if the oyster reef structures prove they can last and withstand the weather long term, they will be part of future restoration efforts.
She also said she is happy the District was able to achieve such an advancement in the use of dredged material.
“The data collected will be critical in assessing the potential for oyster colonization on the reef structures, as well as providing insights into their structural performance,” Morrow said. “If the reef structures prove to be resilient, we aim to explore their potential as breakwater systems for future restoration efforts. While there is still much to learn, this project exemplifies the collaborative efforts between Mobile District and its partners to advance the beneficial use of dredged material.”
Blair Morrison, Science and Monitoring Program lead for the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, holds an oyster at the Mon Louis Beach in Dauphin Island, Alabama, Nov. 19, 2025. The oyster was picked out of a 3-D printed reef that was built from dredged material of the Mobile Bay as part of a collaborative project between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, ERDC, and the MBNEP. (U.S. Army photo by Keesha Robinson)
Andy DePaola, Dauphin Island oyster farmer, right, speaks with Herb Bullock, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District civil engineer, and Blair Morrison, Mobile Bay National Estuary Program science and monitoring lead, at his farm on Mon Louis Beach in Dauphin Island, Alabama, November 19, 2025. The Mobile District, MBNEP, and ERDC placed the reef on the farm to beneficially use dredged material from Mobile Bay and to monitor the oyster habitat. (U.S. Army photo by Keesha Robinson)
