Since 2005, the PEP Board of Directors has presented Environmental Stewardship Awards to member companies whose work has significantly contributed to the Gulf Coast's triple bottom line - the environment, the economy and the community. The awards celebrate the innovative approaches our members take to solve environmental problems and enhance the sustainability and resiliency of our coastlines.
PEP presents a 2024 Environmental Stewardship Award to Moffatt & Nichol, a global infrastructure advisory firm that provides engineering and consulting services to clients in the marine terminal, transportation, energy, environmental, federal, and urban development markets worldwide. For this project, Moffatt & Nichol acted as the engineering and design team and the construction observation and administration team to restore 60 acres of marsh habitat in Dauphin Island’s Graveline Bay.
In recent years, the northern Gulf of Mexico’s barrier islands, particularly Dauphin Island, have faced severe environmental challenges. Hurricanes have left their mark, causing island lowering, breaches, and a significant loss of landforms that play crucial roles in the region’s ecological balance. Graveline Bay is a back-barrier island bay that has experienced 75 acres of marsh loss over the last 100 years. The Graveline Bay Marsh Restoration Project was designed to enhance the remaining 37 acres of the marsh by constructing marsh mounds to create intertidal and high marsh habitats while increasing the island's resilience to storm events.
Based on the funding source, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (NFWF GEBF), the overall goal was to restore the ecological functions and services of Graveline Bay marshes to remedy ecological harm from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The specific project objectives were to maximize the linear feet of heterogeneous marsh and fringe (edge) habitat and the area of subaerial marsh habitat that could be constructed within the project construction funding amount. These goals and objectives were accomplished by constructing 55 intertidal marsh mounds to attenuate wave activity and create critical marsh edge habitat over the 20-year project lifespan.
The innovative design of the marsh mounds played a crucial role in the project’s success. By focusing on constructing larger, higher mounds to protect smaller, lower-elevation mounds, the project created a robust system that minimized the need for rock breakwaters. This “soft” ecosystem restoration approach led to significant cost savings, costing around $7 per cubic yard compared to a similar project in Florida, costing $25 per cubic yard. This saved the funders approximately $2 million.
The project involved agencies, municipalities, the public, regulatory bodies, and marine contractors. The NFWF GEBF provided funding, with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources overseeing the project. The Town of Dauphin Island acted as the project owner, and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab is conducting three years of monitoring.
The Graveline Bay Marsh Restoration Project is a pilot project offering valuable insights for future restoration efforts. Its contractual approach to environmental construction can benefit engineers and contractors, minimizing risks and maximizing ecological benefits. The project’s success in achieving cost savings while enhancing environmental outcomes demonstrates the potential of “soft” ecosystem restoration measures.
Special thank you to our 2024 Video Award Sponsor, Alabama Port Authority.
