The Restoration

Fowl River Spits Restoration

Degraded marsh spits, breaching shorelines, and disappearing islands along the intertidal region of Fowl River, where fresh and brackish water meets, were prioritized by the community during development of the Fowl River Watershed Management Plan (2016). Historically, the extent and health of these important features have declined. Following Plan development, the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) has been working with impacted landowners and the community to implement a fitting project for this important river system. This project represents
more than $17M invested by the State and the project funder, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

The purpose of this Project is to develop a holistic, nature-based engineering approach to:

  • Stabilizing priority coastal spits and shorelines
  • Restoring and enhancing habitat
  • Providing long-term sustainability of ecosystem services
  • Supporting estuarine living resources and the Fowl River Community including the marsh spit areas, seagrass beds, and the species these habitats support


    Fact Sheets



    Mon Louis Island Tip Restoration

    (completed in 2017)

    With sediment analyses and watershed management plans completed and a permit received from the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers in March, the NFWF GEBF-funded restoration of the erosion-impacted northern tip of Mon Louis Island began in early July. A temporary access channel was dug on the shoreward side of the 1995 shoreline footprint, with material side cast. A 1,400-foot continuous rock breakwater was constructed from south to north as the access channel was refilled. With breakwater construction completed in early September, dredge activities commenced. Sandy material was hydraulically pumped from the Fowl River Open Water Disposal Area behind the breakwater to an elevation of +3.5 NAVD88 to create a suitable substrate for marsh creation and completed over a one-week period. In mid-September, dredges moved to the Fowl River navigation channel where maintenance dredging of the neglected and shallow channel to depths of eight to 11 feet was undertaken with funding through a State Deepwater Horizon Impact Grant to refill the FROWDA borrow pit. Dredging operations were completed in October. Final grading, planting, and tidal creek creation will be undertaken in three to six months, in late winter to spring, when placed material has consolidated.

    Critical Issues and Areas

    Critical issues and areas affecting the condition of each watershed were identified from multiple sources, including Steering Committee resource knowledge, interviews with knowledgeable experts, input from citizens within the watersheds via public workshops, results of field reconnaissance conducted by the field team, review and interpretation of current and historical data, and analyses of historic aerial photography and maps. Critical issues and areas for each watershed are:
    Mercury Impairments
    Sediment Transport
    Nutrient Loading
    Stormwater Runoff
    Invasive Species
    Habitat Loss
    Land Use Change
    Sea Level Rise Impacts

    Recommended Management Measures
    The Watershed Management Team, working in cooperation with stakeholders, developed the following management measures to address the purpose of the WMP, specific goals, and priority issues.
    Establish a Fowl River Watershed Management Task Force
    Pursue funding opportunities
    Advocate for updating subdivision regulations and encourage retrofitting of existing developments
    Restore and stabilize shorelines in the coastal zone of the Watershed
    Expand and improve safety signage
    Advocate for improved household waste management
    Establish a public outreach and education program
    Emphasize leveraging of funding sources
    Establish a Watershed monitoring program
    Expand habitat conservation
    Engage farmers in improving water quality
    Implement habitat restoration and stormwater project opportunities

    Implementation Strategy

    Implementation of the recommended management measures should begin immediately after approval of the WMP. Initial implementation should focus on the most critical issues and the prioritized management measures identified in the WMP. Many of the management measures can occur concurrently as soon as the necessary funding is available.

    Monitoring
    A monitoring program is necessary to continue to document the overall health of the Fowl River Watershed, track the success or failure of the implemented management measures, and determine where additional measures are necessary. The monitoring plan should encompass the greatest possible portion of the Watershed with the least number of samples while providing sufficient detail to identify probable source areas for elements of concern.

    The monitoring program should clearly define the objectives of the sampling and identify which known and potential issues within the Watershed are being evaluated. Standard sampling and analyses protocols accepted by state and federal agencies should be used to collect and analyze data. Data collected during monitoring should be used to assess the effectiveness of recommended management measures one completed and the success of those measures in accomplishing the goals and objectives.

    Monitoring and Research Studies

    Publications