MOBILE — Some were fishermen, shrimpers, oystermen and their families.
Some were those with environmental concerns.
Some were people who liked to eat seafood.
They met Thursday night at St. Philip Neri Church in Belle Fountaine on the western (Mobile) side of Mobile Bay. They heard a two-part plan to "fix" the dumping of mud into the bay.
Mobile Bay Keepers organized the meeting, and 178 people attended.
The leaders and speakers' major concern is a project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to pump sediment into the Bay from dredging the Mobile ship channel. The deepening and widening of the ship channel is necessary for larger ships to utilize the Port of Mobile.
The amount of sediment proposed to be pumped into Mobile Bay is massive — 90 million cubic yards over the next 20 years.
Those who use Mobile Bay for recreational and commercial fishing said they can see what is happening -- the mud is killing oysters, shrimp, fish and seagrass.
The main target of the citizen movement is 'in-Bay disposal of maintenance dredge spoil."
The goal is to use the dredge spoil for "beneficial uses," such as restoring the shoreline, the Dauphin Island Causeway and building up beach erosion.
Dredge that cannot be used for beneficial uses should be deposited offshore in the Gulf or on land. There is an additional cost to transport the spoil out into the Gulf or onto land.
The project SaveMobileBay.com has a two-part plan to stop the dumping into the Bay. One is legislation. The second is litigation.
The group encourages citizens to contact their federal representatives for the Mobile Bay area – Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Sen. Katie Britt, Congressman Barry Moore, and Congressman Shomari Figures. They are asking the officials to support a quick step to halt the dumping and a long-term step.
A model letter to the federal officials was given to all at the meeting. It explained the two-part legislative strategy:
"Please prohibit the Corps from using Fiscal Year 2026 funds to perform 'thin-layer placement' in the open waters of Mobile Bay and permanently ban the Water Resources Development Act of 2026."
The meeting was open to staff of all four federal officials. However, they gathered information only and did not speak.
The Mobile Baykeepers and others intend to go to court if the legislative approach does not work. They announced that they have obtained legal counsel, the Center for Biological Diversity.
William Strickland, who moderated the meeting, said the timeline for the first stage of legislative action and a possible decision on whether to go to court is mid-June 2025.
"...(We) do not wish to halt the deepening and widening of the ship channel. The organization and the community are trying to stop the in-Bay disposal of maintenance dredge spoil, like in every other state. What cannot be used for beneficial projects should be deposited in proper disposal areas such as offshore."
— SaveMobileBay.com
Jim' Zig' Zeigler's beat is colorful and positive about Alabama — her people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at [email protected].
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