Coastal Services Center

Over two days last September, the Gulf coast of Alabama was thrashed by up to 130 mph winds and flooding caused by Hurricane Ivan. In addition to lost lives and damaged homes and businesses, the surging Gulf swept away massive amounts of sand, opening new island breaches, blocking navigation channels, and leveling extensive dune fields and sensitive habitat at Gulf State Park.

In the wake of the storm's devastation, federal, state, and local coastal resource managers quickly joined forces to simultaneously dredge Perdido Pass for navigation and restore beach and natural habitat. The adroit collaboration saved time and taxpayers' money.

The restored dune system "isn't exactly what we had before the storm, but it's pretty close," says Carl Ferraro, natural resource planner for the Coastal Section of the State Lands Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. "This [project] was a real silver lining to the nightmare we called Ivan."

An established working group, the availability of previous beach surveys, and the additional flexibility provided in an emergency situation were all necessary components for the project's success.

Standing Tall

Before Hurricane Ivan, the area of Gulf State Park called Florida Point featured an extensive dune field with dune ridges as high as 15 feet above mean sea level, Ferraro recalls.

"These dunes were well vegetated with sea oats, other native beach and dune plants, and provided habitat for the Perdido Key beach mouse, wintering piping plovers, nesting sea turtles, and many other sensitive beach and dune species," he says.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers already had permits in place to do its regularly scheduled dredging of the bordering Perdido Pass navigation channel.

The Eye of the Storm

On September 15 and 16, 2004, the Category 3 storm battered the Alabama shoreline. Ivan's storm surge reached as high as 14 feet and "pretty well flattened" the Florida Point dune field. Much of that sand was trapped in the Perdido Pass channel, Ferraro says.

He notes that the storm surge was so strong, it "tossed armoring stones around like pebbles," severely damaging a Perdido Pass jetty and weir. Additionally, the dunes anchoring the jetty were breached.

After the storm, "there was little habitat left on the point," recalls Patric Harper, a biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "It was definitely an emergency situation."

Dual Goals

Shortly after the storm, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers received emergency funding to "go in and clear out Perdido Pass for safe navigation," says Larry Parson, physical scientist for the Corps' Mobile District.

But the Corps had a "huge problem," says Ferraro. "There was an enormous quantity of material that had to be dredged out, and the Corps was looking for a place to put it."

"Normally, we would discourage the use of dredge material outside the disposal area," because of habitat concerns, Harper explains. This time, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff members suggested the Corps use the dredge material on Florida Point to "replace the sand that had been lost and reconstruct the habitat that existed."

Federal, state, and local coastal resource managers were all quick to support the idea.

Working Together

All those interviewed for this story said the relationships that developed through an existing working group were key to making that support, and the project's swift planning and implementation, possible.

Alabama is one of the states piloting the Corps' Regional Sediment Management Program, which for the past several years has brought together a team of stakeholders to address littoral issues.

"It wasn't too long ago that we didn't have the relationships with other agencies that we have today," Parson says. "We now work together to solve these types of problems. It really does make everything flow much better."

Working Fast

A project plan was developed by staff members from Fish and Wildlife, the Corps, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' State Lands Division Coastal Section and State Parks Division Gulf State Park, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management's Coastal Facilities Section, and the City of Orange Beach.

Harper notes that the group used pre-storm surveys to try to match the natural conditions before the storm. "This project required a quick turnaround. We didn't have time to do a lot of planning. We had major problems, and we had to get to work and coordinate quickly."

State approval to conduct the project was issued in mid-January 2005. The Corps began dredging operations in late February, with habitat restoration proceeding shortly thereafter. By March 4, most of the restoration project was completed. Additional sand fencing and dune revegetation remain to be completed.

Ultimately, 530,000 cubic yards of sand were pumped onto the beach, the slope of which was designed to facilitate sea turtle nesting. The dredging project cost $750,000, which Nathan Lovelace, a civil engineer with the Corps' Mobile District, says is "very cheap. It's about a dollar a yard."

Ferraro notes that in some areas, "sea oats and other native vegetation are coming back already."

Silver Lining

The success of this project generates reactions from participants such as, "refreshing," "great," and "we accomplished a lot."

"To me, a typical project where you are doing environmental restoration could take years to really take to completion," Parson says. "Here, we just saw something that needed to be done, had the funding to do it, the support to do it, and we moved ahead very quickly."

Harper adds, "Each of the agencies had to give up a little, but it was far outweighed by the positive benefits which the environment and the species will receive."

For more information on the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve's international projects, contact Oscar Romo at (619) 575-3613 or oromo@tijuanaestuary.com. You may also contact Mike Wells at (619) 575-3615, or mwells@parks.ca.gov.