MOBILE — The Mobile Baykeeper announced Tuesday that it intends to sue the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the Mobile Port expansion.
The Baykeeper and the Center for Biological Diversity sent a letter claiming the Corps failed to protect Gulf sturgeon during a dredging project in Mobile Bay.
The project to widen and deepen the port will allow larger ships to utilize the port, bringing more opportunities to the local economy and the nation.
Mobile Baykeeper executive director William Strickland told 1819 News he supports the project, but he believes the amount of sediment being dredged and dumped directly into the bay contributes to the loss of oysters, seagrasses and the protected Gulf sturgeon.
"This current plan is going to deepen and widen the channel, which will allow for bigger ships and more ships," Strickland said. "We are not saying that's a bad thing at all. But the ongoing maintenance will be putting about 90 million cubic yards of dredge spoil or mud into Mobile Bay. That 90 million cubic yards is enough to cover every football field in America with a foot of dirt. That's 42,000 football fields, and you'd still have some left over."
Strickland said the dumped mud is enough to cover Mobile Bay in two-and-a-half inches of mud over 20 years.
"Some people would think,' Hey, it's not a problem, there's dirt always in the Bay," Strickland added. "But you talk to any old timer, they'll tell you how clear it used to be. It's not to say that it was ever crystal clear like the Keys, but it was much clearer. And so, the grasses and the species of animals we have here are used to a certain amount of clarity. So those grasses depend on sunlight to get to them so they can grow. And the dirtier the water is, the less sunlight gets through."
Strickland said the Mobile Baykeeper has been working with the U.S. Corps of Engineers to develop a different approach. However, after a 2023 study revealed Mobile Bay is home to more than 200 protected sturgeon, the Baykeeper decided to pursue legal action.
"In light of the new study, the Corps has a legal duty to consult with scientists at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service to make sure its dredging project does not drive Gulf sturgeon extinct or destroy the places they need to survive," the Mobile Baykeeper said in a statement. "Dredging harms sturgeon because it sucks up their food sources from one site and buries them with sediment in another. Once these bottom-dwelling species have been dug up or suffocated, they take a long time to return, which means that sturgeon that depend on the Bay will have nothing to eat."
Strickland told 1819 news that the mud also impacted local fishermen and businesses.
"The sediment coming off the dredging activities will have a detrimental effect on our oyster reefs and other marine life," said Michael Williams, a wild oysterman who runs Salty Pirates Seafood in Dauphin Island. "The widening and dredging of the upper portions of the Bay will kill part of our mother oyster reef at the head of the Bay. Also, the dredging is killing turtles in the Bay, as there is no boat dragging around the dredge to save the turtles they might kill."
The Mobile Baykeeper is now advocating with elected officials at the federal level for action.
"This isn't just an environmental issue, but it's also an economic issue," he said. "We think that there's about 49,000 jobs connected to commercial fishing, trapping, oystering, and then recreational fishing. This is a big part of how we live down here."
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it is in compliance with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
"The Mobile Harbor project complies with all applicable federal and state regulations," the Corps said in a statement. "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is actively monitoring dredging to ensure compliance and continues to work with jurisdictional agencies to protect resources in Mobile Bay."
The Mobile District of the Corps underwent a consultation for compliance with the Endangered Species Act, and that report can be found online. A 2018 report stated that the NMFS found no unacceptable impacts on monitored habitats.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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