Dredge Spoil - Mobile Baykeeper

Ask your federal officials to protect Mobile Bay.

We are also asking our federal elected officials to make the Corps do its job of serving the people rather than the other way around.

Our requests:

No in-bay disposal that is not beneficial use.
Involvement and approval of future beneficial use projects.
Formal study on wave energy mitigation along the ship channel.
In-channel dissolved oxygen system similar to the Port of Savannah.
Creation of a private cost-share program to convert waterfront property to living shoreline.
Large-scale public waterfront property conversion project to living shoreline.

Now is the time to call your elected officials.

Let them know how important end the mud dumping is to you.

Office of Senator Katie Britt 202-224-5744

Office of Senator Tommy Tuberville 202-224-4124

Office of Representative Barry Moore 202-225-2901

Office of Representative Shomari Figures 202-225-4931

The Problem

90 million cubic yards. That is how much sediment the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to put into Mobile Bay over the next 20 years. It is also enough to cover the entirety of Mobile Bay with 2.5 inches of mud. No one should be allowed to dump this much mud in our waters, especially the federal government.

The dredge sediment being pumped into the Bay has already greatly harmed seagrasses and oyster reefs. Another 90 million cubic yards will decimate the little we have left and destroy the livelihoods of commercial and recreational fisherman.

Our Solution

Mobile Baykeeper, joined by commercial and recreational fishermen, plans to sue U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over their failure to protect threatened Gulf sturgeon from a massive dredging project in Mobile Bay.

Protecting the sturgeon will protect the Bay and, therefore, our way of life.

Timeline

The United States Congress has the opportunity to end mud dumping in Mobile Bay and fund proper disposal practices.

Read the letter handed to our Reps

June 2025

Baykeeper has authored a paper disputing the Corps’ position. The federal agency has not defended its position with any legitimate scientific backing.

Read the Report

December 2024

Baykeeper sends a Notice of Intent to Sue to the Army Corps over their failure to protect Gulf Sturgeon. Protections for the Gulf Sturgeon will mean protections for commercial shrimpers, oysterman, and inshore charters captains.

Read the Notice of Intent.

July 2024

Eastern Shore anglers discover dead fish in the dredge placement area and raise concerns.

June 17, 2024

Baykeeper attempts to work with the Corps to mitigate impacts of millions of cubic yards of sediment to no avail.

2024

Commercial fishermen and Inshore Charter Captains express concern over dredge disposal practices.

2018

Baykeeper files 60+ pages of comment letters to demonstrate the harms that would be caused by the ship channel. Concerns ignored by USACE who eventually found that moving millions of cubic yards of sediment to deepen and widen the ship channel would have no environmental impact.