Photo By Dalton Yoder | Ships sit in the channel of the Mobile Bay Harbor, Mobile, Alabama, July 29, 2024. The...... read more read more
MOBILE, Ala. – Beginning in 2020, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District Mobile Harbor Project seeks to deepen and widen the Mobile Harbor Channel by five feet from the Gulf of Mexico, through Mobile Bay, and into Mobile Harbor. The entrance channel through the Gulf is being deepened from 45 feet to 50 feet.
Additionally, the southern portion of the Bay channel is being widened by 100 feet for three miles to accommodate two-way traffic. Two of the bends are being eased to facilitate more efficient navigation from the Gulf into Mobile Bay.
The process of deepening and widening requires dredging, thus the question of what can be done with the dredged material from Mobile Bay and Mobile Harbor.
The District collaborates with federal partners from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the environment, fish habitats, and species.
“During dredging operations, multiple methods are employed to ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations,” said Justin McDonald, USACE Mobile District’s Civil Works Programs & Project Management Branch chief. “Pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, USACE consults with both the Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service on potential effects to Federally Listed Species. In the case of the Mobile Harbor, consultation was completed with both services concurring with the project as captured in the Final (General Reevaluation Report with Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement) and Record of Decision. Consultation with the NMFS-Habitat Conservation Division was initiated and by a letter dated 18 September 2018. And NMFS-HCD concurred with USACE’s determination that the project will not result in adverse effects to E.F.H.”
Like all Federal actions, the Mobile Harbor Project is subject to the National Environmental Policy Act. The Mobile Harbor Integrated GRR/SEIS documented compliance with NEPA.
The channel deepening and widening project was approved after a rigorous environmental process involving multiple state and federal agencies, which found no adverse effects.
Mary Sullivan, Project Manager for Civil Works, said the District works with its partners to ensure all federal and state environmental laws and species are protected before and during dredging.
“Best management practices are implemented during construction to minimize impacts,” Sullivan said. “These practices include avoidance and minimization measures required by NMFS and the F.W.S. to protect Federally listed species pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. In addition, USACE complies with water quality conditions required by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act. The Mobile Harbor Project complies with all applicable Federal and State regulations.”
Another step the Mobile District is taking to ensure the protection of the environment and the bay is a process known as thin-layer placement. In thin-layer placement, the District worked with the Interagency Working Group and agreed to place dredged material at a thickness no greater than one foot.
“Beneficial use, specifically thin layer placement, allows the Corps to manage dredged material in an environmentally acceptable and cost-effective method that supports Mobile Bay,” said Sullivan.
The Mobile Harbor Project is being constructed in seven phases. Three phases are already complete, three are currently under construction, and the final phase is scheduled to be awarded later this summer.
Construction is projected to be completed in the summer of 2025, and it is currently on schedule and within budget.
McDonald said the project is scheduled to be completed on time with no harm to fish habitats in the process.
“Pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801-1882), USACE determined that the projects will have no adverse effects to Essential Fish Habitat. The NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service concurred with our determination that the project will not harm fish habitats.”
| Date Taken: | 08.15.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.15.2024 10:39 |
| Story ID: | 478682 |
| Location: | MOBILE, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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