U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mobile District General Permit for Living Shorelines in Alabama Sandy P. Gibson Regulatory Specialist, Coastal Alabama Regulatory Division, Mobile District US Army Corps of Engineers
Authority: Sections 10 and 404 Benefits of a Living Shoreline: - Restoration and creation of valuable Essential Fishery Habitat -Creates a natural buffer that absorbs wave energy and reduces erosion while maintaining natural shoreline dynamics - Can be applied across a range of inland and coastal habitats or ecoregions - Preserve, create, or maintains habitat for aquatic and terrestrial species. - Serve as storage cells for floodwaters and reduces storm surge - Restore and enhance critical feeding and nursery habitat for finfish and shellfish. - Enhances water quality by trapping and filtering surface runoff of pollutants. - Provides aesthetic values by enhanced native landscaping
3 BUILDING STRONG
Authority: Sections 10 and 404 Purpose of the LSGP : Promoting Preservation and Restoration of: Dunes Beaches Wetlands Threatened and Endangered Species Critical Habitat Protection and propagation of essential fish habitat Submerged aquatic vegetation Shoreline restoration and nourishment Estuarine and Freshwater Marshes Note: This LSGP cannot be used for large-scale beach restoration projects such as Dauphin Island, Gulf Shores, or Orange Beach public beaches.
Protection locations may extend from the existing shoreline at Mean High Water (Tide) or Ordinary High Water and extend water-ward. Project Authorizations are dependent upon: - Site-specific Conditions (i.e., wave action, velocity, substrate, elevation, habitat, landscape position) - Project purpose and need (if possible, leave the shoreline alone) - Coordination and approval from other jurisdictional agencies (ADCNR, USFWS, NMFS). - Other special considerations (i.e., breeding or nesting season, etc.)
Protection fronting Wetlands and Sensitive Habitats: - Normal hydrologic regime should be maintained - No fill will be placed in wetlands - Matching wetland elevations: If scarping has occurred due to scour or scalloping, fill discharges are limited to minimum necessary to achieve adjacent wetland elevation. - Gaps in breakwaters: Detached breakwaters should contain an appropriate number of gaps to ensure adequate tidal flushing and shoreline habitat access for marine and terrestrial organisms.
Types of Protection should be selected based upon a minimalistic approach - limited in size but adequate enough for protection and take into account natural sediment transport processes. **Mississippi has a drafted 0.25-acre limit to water bottom fill within the Mississippi Sound due to its designation as Gulf Sturgeon Critical Habitat (GSCH). A sliver of GSCH also exists in Alabama, west of Dauphin Island. Material Considerations: - Natural Materials (i.e, root balls, logs, stabilized cut brush, coir logs or other biodegradable products) - Oyster Shell and Oyster Shell Support Structures (i.e., bagged shells, reef balls and/or cradles for stability - Concrete - Riprap
Special Conditions address items including: - State Water Quality and Coastal Zone consistency - State Historic Preservation Office Coordination - ADCNR-State Lands Division Coordination - Riparian Use and Ownership of Accreted Areas - Conditions for Threatened and Endangered Species - Markers and Signage - Submerged Aquatic Vegetation - Compliance Monitoring - Implement and maintain best management practices during construction.
- Exclusions: - Fill in wetlands including bottomland hardwoods; - Solid structures roughly perpendicular to the shore or bank; - Activities which result in or for purpose of land reclamation; - Activities which create a hazard to navigation; and - Loose or bagged oyster shell unless project area approved by the Alabama Department of Public Health.
Private Property Owner Weeks Bay
Coffee Island Northeast shoreline - Photo Mary Kate Stubljar/The Nature Conservancy
Challenges: What works and what doesn t? Understanding forces and contributors of shoreline instability site specific Natural Shoreline Accretion and Waterbottom Ownership Habitat-specific Plant Stock and Species Lists Sediment Transport Processes Biological and Chemical Monitoring Education Outreach Migration from the known standard Swift Tract Eroded Shoreline - Photo Mary Kate Stubljar/The Nature Conservancy
QUESTIONS? Corps HQ: http://www.usace.army.mil/missions/civilworks/regulatoryprogr amandpermits/federalregulation.aspx District Guidance and Access to Program Information Mobile District: http://www.sam.usace.army.mil/missions/regulatory.aspx 13