The Legislature gave final approval Tuesday to the “Save Our Bay” bill, which bans the environmentally unsound practice of mud dumping in Mobile Bay.
The measure, sponsored by Senator Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, and Representative Rhett Marques, R-Enterprise, now heads to Governor Kay Ivey for signature.
“As Baldwin County’s state senator, protecting Mobile Bay and preserving the environment that makes our area such a special place to live, work, worship and raise our families rank among my highest priorities,” Elliott said. “With passage of this bill, we have shielded the commercial and sport fishing industries, ensured that our waters remain clean and clear, and protected the important oyster beds, seagrasses and other aquatic life that mud dumping harms.”
Elliott said residents of Baldwin County “live in the most awesome place on Earth, and it’s up to us to keep it that way. Passage of the ‘Save Our Bay’ legislation will help ensure that our little piece of paradise remains a paradise.”
Mud dumping occurs when sediment and spoil from dredged shipping channels is sprayed onto the bay’s surface, clouding the water and smothering oyster beds, seagrasses and other saltwater wildlife, according to environmentalists.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers calls its dredging practice “thin-layer placement” and says it replicates the natural spreading of silt on the bay floor, but the Corps is expected to produce roughly 90 million cubic yards of sediment in coming years while maintaining shipping channels.
Senator Katie Britt has pressed the Corps to dedicate 70 percent of all dredged sediment to “beneficial uses,” and the new state law explicitly bars mud dumping from qualifying as a beneficial use in Alabama.
“This is a huge win for the people of Coastal Alabama, but it is not the end,” William Strickland, executive director of Mobile Baykeeper, said in a statement. “This is the beginning of a revival of our waters. The passage of the bill to end mud-dumping shows what happens when our communities unite around our waters.”
Strickland urged Britt to finish the job by inserting language into the Water Resources Development Act that permanently bans mud dumping nationwide.
The bill drew support from Bayou La Batre Mayor Barnes, Spanish Fort Mayor Bass, Daphne Mayor LeJeune, Baldwin Realtors, Alabama’s Beaches: The Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Point Clear Property Owners Association, the Fort Morgan Civic Association, the Little Lagoon Preservation Society, Alabama Commercial Fishermens Association LLC, Eat Alabama Wild Seafood, Admiral Shellfish Company, Bama Bay Oyster Farm and the Organized Seafood Association of Alabama.
Similar laws have passed in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and other states.
