State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Josephine) recently spoke about concerns with a dredging project underway in his district.
Elliott supports the widening and deepening of the Alabama Port to accommodate larger container ships. However, he said the mud dumping process is impacting marine life in Mobile Bay.
RELATED: Mobile Bay fishing legend fears mud dumping could destroy way of life
“The project's great. We've worked hard on the project, worked hard to get the project funded, but some of the disposal practices leave me with some concern,” Elliott said. “Many of you have been to the Grand Hotel for conferences, so a video I saw this weekend had the disposal of some dredge material from the ship channel being discharged in open water right off a point clear in my district.”
After sharing a video of the disposal process, Elliott said he believes the Army Corps of Engineers needs to find a better balance.
“We just have got to get a better way of dealing with the dredge material, and it can't simply be disposing of it in open water so that it then causes turbidity in the water and so that it then impacts submerged aquatic vegetation, that it impacts shellfish, that it impacts other marine life in Mobile Bay,” he explained. “Our water quality is a big part of the giant tourism industry that is so important to Alabama and Alabama's budgets.”
Elliott said he will continue to work with partners in Washington, D.C., to effect change. He would like to see the materials used beneficially.
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