Salt Aire Shoreline Restoration Project
Latest Construction News (Spring 2026)
Active construction commenced in April 2026 and will take 10 months to complete. An access channel is dug to allow for rock barges to enter into the site to install shoreline protection. Materials excavated from the access channels are placed in temporary banks that will be degraded at the end of the project, or placed within the restoration area where practical for the construction methods. Sediment will be pumped from the borrow area to the contained site to restore 30 acres of eroded marsh and protect the 75 acres of remaining marsh. Tidal creeks will be excavated within the restored marsh to maintain tidal connectivity in the system. Native marsh vegetation will be planted at the restored site following construction. The contractor has placed navigation warnings buoys to notify boaters of construction hazards, and boaters should avoid construction zones. Please stay within the E. Fowl River Navigation Channel.
Project Overview
The Mobile County Commission successfully secured funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (NFWF GEBF) to restore approximately 30 acres of intertidal marsh habitat on the western shore of Mobile Bay, just north of the mouth of East Fowl River. Marsh ecosystems provide diverse habitat for fish and wildlife and also protect inland habitats during coastal storm events. The Salt Aire marsh has experienced about 415 feet of shoreline erosion since the 1930s. Previous restoration efforts resulted in the construction of several wave attenuation structures. This project phase will supplement the previous project by restoring and protecting the marsh.
Project Goals
The goals of the project are to restore and protect valuable marsh habitat and associated species that were injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This project will rehabilitate and stabilize the marsh ecosystem at Salt Aire so it can continue to provide habitat to fish and wildlife in Mobile Bay.
Contact
Mobile County Environmental Services, 251-574-3229
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