In an open letter, the commander of the Corps' South Atlantic division defended the controversial practice, which advocates say harms the health of the bay.
Aerial image of dredged sediment being deposited in Mobile Bay. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers defended the practice of depositing dredged sediment back into the bay, a process called "thin layer placement," or "mud dumping.
" The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, responsible for maintaining the channel that brings ships into the Port of Mobile, is defending its practice of depositing dredged sediment back into the bay - a practice called “thin layer placement,” or sometimes, “mud dumping.” “Thin-layer placement is not ‘mud dumping,’” said Brigadier General Zachary Miller, who commands the Corps’ South Atlantic Division. “It is a measured, monitored, and science-based sediment management practice designed to mirror natural sediment processes that have shaped Mobile Bay over thousands of years.” In an open letter, Miller said that it’s not true that the practice is the main driver of oyster and seagrass decline in the bay. Thin layer placement involves depositing dredged sediment in open-water locations throughout the bay, which environmental advocates say increases the cloudiness of the water and jeopardizes marine species.bill that would largely prohibit thin layer placementThe bill, sponsored by State Rep. Rhett Marques and much of the Mobile County delegation, would prohibit thin layer placement from being designated a “beneficial use” of dredged sediment.or projects that improve the quality of waterways and shoreline for animals and people.received a favorable report from the Alabama House Ways and Means General Fund Committee, after two amendments were added to the bill. It now goes to the entire House for a vote. The amendments ensure that the state General Fund is not used to pay for the additional costs of using the sediment for “beneficial use,” as well as ensuring the Alabama Port Authority is not liable for the costs, Marques told the committee. Dustin Gautney, a spokesperson for the corps of engineers Mobile District, told AL.com the Corps does not take a position on state legislation. Rather, the letter was meant to clarify the “misinformation” about the Corps’ dredging. “Our role is to carry out federally authorized navigation and environmental missions in accordance with existing law, applicable regulations, and required environmental reviews,” Gautney said in an email. “The Open Letter is intended to clarify the misinformation around how the USACE currently conducts dredging activities in Mobile Bay, the authorities under which those activities occur, and the environmental safeguards that are already in place.” In his letter, Miller said “thin layer placement” was developed in coordination with other groups, including Mobile Baykeeper, an environmental advocacy group that has led calls to end the practice. Thin layer placement is an accepted “beneficial use” in Mobile Bay, the letter says, and has been used in Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, and Georgia. “That collaborative process was grounded in available science and regional sediment management principles,” Miller said in the letter. “The fact that the Mobile District of the Corps cannot understand the distinction between thin layer placement as disposal in open water versus using it for restoration is a prime example of why our elected officials must intervene,” said William Strickland, executive director of Mobile Baykeeper. “In bay disposal is banned in all of the states they mentioned. The people of coastal Alabama don’t want it happening here.”, saying the dredging practice threatened the endangered Gulf Sturgeon.to deepen and widen the shipping channel, in order to accommodate bigger and heavier cargo ships., but Mobile Baykeeper says it wants to ensure that thin layer placement is not used to dispose of the sediment dredged as part of the yearly maintenance the Corps will have to do for the next 20 years to keep the channel at 50 feet deep. Margaret “Maggie” Kates is the environment and natural resources reporter for AL.com. Based in Mobile, she reports on Alabama's diverse environment and its effect on people. She covers stories related to the...
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