WEST END NOURISHMENT PROJECT

The Town of Dauphin Island secured funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (NFWF GEBF) and the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) to conduct full engineering and design to nourish the beach and dunes along the West End of the island. This project was identified as a priority in the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Final Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Assessment Report, 2020. If this project is not completed, erosion will persist, and the beach, which has been
steadily eroding for decades, is unlikely to recover naturally. To create an engineered beach under the Alabama Beach Act, the project must establish a designated mean high tide line (MHTL). The designated MHTL establishes the separation between private and public property in perpetuity – even if more erosion occurs in the future. Without this project, Dauphin Island will continue to lose land to the Gulf of Mexico – and by law, submerged land is already owned by the State of Alabama and held in trust for the benefit of the public. An engineered beach constructed through the Beach Act will also allow the Town of Dauphin Island to seek additional funding through FEMA. The Town will hold responsibility of maintaining the renourished beach. Engineered beaches in Alabama already exist in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, as well as now along the East End of Dauphin Island.

 

 

WEST END NOURISHMENT PROJECT - PUBLIC HEARING -  Thursday MARCH 6 @ 6-8PM - DI Community Center - watch on ZOOM ​

      All the associated information is in hard copy is at the Town Hall and can be viewed there. 

NOTICE OF JOINT PUBLIC MEETING

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 PERMIT APPLICATIONS: 

• ADCNR Beach Nourishment Application

• USACE-ADEM Joint Standard Individual Permit Application

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Facts:

•  If we choose not to do this project, the West End will be lost to the forces of mother nature with each passing year.

• The project will bring sand to the Island where it is physically most needed based on 100-year trends; this sand will not come back naturally.

• The project will add 200 acres of public beach habitat that can be accessed in exactly the same way it is accessed today (e.g. permit parking, west end beach parking, walking)

• The project will protect the Town’s infrastructure (e.g. roads, water and sewer), reducing the costly removal of sand and repair of utilities. Repair costs (e.g. removing sand off of Bienville Blvd) borne by the Town continue to increase on an annual basis due in part to the degradation of the shoreline and dune system in this area.

• Currently there are 23 completely submerged properties which have been submerged for decades (post Hurricane Ivan and Katrina), and by law are already owned by the State of Alabama. There are another 31 lots that are mostly submerged and will continue to erode. We cannot use federal funding to restore private properties. These properties have prevented federal funding and sand renourishment efforts from reaching Dauphin Island for decades. The establishment of a designated MHTL will remedy this issue and allow the Town to build this project and sustain the project into the future.

• This project will adhere to state and Federal law; minimize impacts to the citizens of Dauphin Island; reduce economic burden on the Town for emergency response; meet requirements for public funding; ensure the Town is qualified for public funds in the future; and maximize short- and long-term benefits for the citizens of Dauphin Island.

• This is a $60M project in which the Town is pursuing multiple funding sources that come with different stipulations.

Completing a beach nourishment project requires several interconnected yet distinct steps to comply with permitting regulations and funding requirements:
1. Engineering and Design – The Town has secured funding for full engineering and design and permitting – COMPLETE
2. Funding - Apply for funding from RESTORE Act – Bucket 2 – Application Complete; in process for approval over next 1.5 years. Pursue other funding opportunities (e.g. local, GOMESA, etc.)
3. POA Construction Easement – a POA vote for authorization by the property owners for the board to sign a construction easement is required. Without this construction easement we CANNOT get this federal RESTORE funding and the project will STOP! The POA easement will not be recorded in probate until all other prerequisites for project commencement have been completed, so there is
no risk that the easement will unnecessarily encumber the POA parcels. However, ensuring that the POA easement will be in place must be accomplished before further steps can be taken.
4. Designate a mean high tide line – Per the Alabama Beach Act and permit process, the Town must establish a designated MHTL so we can receive sand from the State without a fee.
5. Construction Easements with Private Landholders - The Town will then work with private landholders to obtain Construction Easements on some private parcels from February 2025 through January 2026.
6. Apply for USACE / ADEM Standard Individual Permit – To be applied for in January 2025, can take 12-18 months for approval.
7. Finalize Design - in 2025 based on funding availability.
8. Construction Funding - Potentially receive funding from RESTORE Council – Spring/Summer 2026. Pursue other funding sources to supplement this.
9. Permit - Receive USACE permit – January 2026.
10. Construction - Build project Fall 2026.