Abstract
Coastal wetlands provide numerous ecosystem services including improved water quality, valuable habitat for fish and wildlife, and shoreline protection. However, their resilience is largely a function of various environmental stressors which can reduce elevation and result in loss of coastal habitat. In systems where natural sedimentation processes are limited or have been altered, beneficial use (BU) of dredged sediment is a great opportunity to create, enhance, or restore ecosystems. Moffatt & Nichol developed two sustainability plans to provide a framework for BU at the Lightning Point Restoration Project in Bayou La Batre, AL, and more broadly in the Grand Bay and Portersville Bay region of Alabama. The Lightning Point Long-term Site Sustainability Plan addresses thin-layer placement of material to increase the marsh elevation and/or respond to localized impacts, and modification of the existing breakwaters to maintain their function. These measures are proposed as adaptive management activities to support the long-term performance and sustainability of the restored area. The Framework for Beneficial Use in the Grand Bay and Portersville Bay Region addresses BU of maintenance dredging material to nourish existing habitat through thin-layer placement, restore historic habitat locations, and/or create new habitat in strategic locations. This plan investigates sediment sources within the region, identifies project opportunities, and provides a framework for BU. Each sustainability plan contains a framework which is presented as steps with respective requirements and recommendations to support development, design, and implementation of the proposed measures. Steps one through six include: project planning and development, engineering and design, regulations and permitting, construction, management and logistics, and monitoring. Both sustainability plans are regarded as “living” documents to be updated and edited with novel data and advances in analysis, management approaches, policies, and partnerships. They serve as the present-day basis for activity and future project development.
