US Army Corps of Engineers
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U.S. Army Corps of EngineersMobile District
General Permit for Living Shorelinesin Alabama and Mississippi
Sandy P. Gibson
Project Manager, Coastal Alabama
Regulatory Division, Mobile District
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Living Shoreline General PermitAuthority: Sections 10 and 404
Benefits of a Living Shoreline:
- Restoration and creation of valuable Essential Fishery Habitat
-Creates a natural buffer that absorbs wave energy and reduces erosion while maintaining natural shoreline dynamics
- Can be applied across a range of inland and coastal habitats or ecoregions
- Preserve, create, or maintains habitat for aquatic and terrestrial species.
- Serve as a storage cells for floodwaters and reduces storm surge
- Restore and enhance critical feeding and nursery habitat for finfish and shellfish.
- Enhances water quality by trapping and filtering surface runoff of pollutants.
- Provides aesthetic values by enhanced landscaping
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Living Shoreline General PermitAuthority: Sections 10 and 404
Purpose of the LSGP :
Promoting Preservation and Restoration of :
Dunes Protection and propagation of essential fish habitat
Beaches Submerged aquatic vegetation
Wetlands Shoreline restoration and nourishment
Threatened and Endangered Estuarine and Freshwater Species Critical Habitat Marshes
Note: This LSGP cannot be used for large beach restoration projects such as Dauphin Island. Gulf Shores, Orange Beach beaches.
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Protection locations may extend from the existing shoreline at
Mean High Water (Tide) or Ordinary High Water and extend water-ward.
Project Authorizations are dependent upon:
- Site-specific Conditions (i.e., wave action, velocity, substrate, elevation, habitat, landscape position)
- Project purpose and need (if possible, leave the shoreline alone)
- Coordination and approval from other jurisdictional agencies (ADCNR, USFWS, NMFS).
- Other special considerations (i.e., breeding or nesting season, etc.)
Living Shoreline General Permit
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Living Shoreline General Permit
Protection fronting Wetlands and Sensitive Habitats:
- No fill will be placed in wetland areas;
- Normal hydrologic regime to be maintained in wetland areas
- Matching wetland elevations: If scarping has occurred due to scour or scalloping, fill discharges limited to minimum necessary to achieve adjacent wetland elevation.
- Gaps in breakwaters: Detached breakwaters should contain an appropriate number of gaps to ensure adequate tidal flushing and shoreline habitat access for marine and terrestrial organisms.
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Types of Protection should be selected based upon a minimalistic approach - limited in size but adequate enough for protection and take into account natural sediment transport processes. **Mississippi has a drafted 0.25-acre limit to water bottom fill within the Mississippi Sound due to its designation as Gulf Sturgeon Critical Habitat (GSCH). A sliver of GSCH also exists in Alabama, west of Dauphin Island.
Material Considerations:- Natural Materials (i.e, root balls, logs, cut brush or biodegradable products)- Oyster Shell and Oyster Shell Support Structures (i.e., bagged shells, reef balls and/or cradles for stability- Concrete- Riprap
Living Shoreline General Permit
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Special Conditions address items including:
- State Water Quality and Coastal Zone consistency- State Historic Preservation Office Coordination- ADCNR-State Lands Division Coordination- Riparian Use and Ownership of Accreted Areas- Conditions for Threatened and Endangered Species- Markers and Signage - Submerged Aquatic Vegetation- Compliance Monitoring- Implement and maintain best management practices during construction.
Living Shoreline General Permit
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- Exclusions:
- Fill in wetlands including bottomland hardwoods;
- Solid structures roughly perpendicular to the shore or bank;
- Activities which result in or for purpose of land reclamation;
- Activities which creates a hazard to navigation; and
- Loose or bagged oyster shell unless project area approved by the Alabama Department of Public Health.
Living Shoreline General Permit
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Private Property OwnerWeeks Bay
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Coffee Island Northeast shoreline - Photo © Mary Kate Stubljar/The Nature Conservancy
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Swift Tract Eroded Shoreline - Photo © Mary Kate Stubljar/The Nature
Conservancy
Challenges:
What works and what doesn’t?
Natural Shoreline Accretion and Waterbottom Ownership
Habitat-specific Plant Stock and
Species Lists
Sediment Transport Processes
Biological and Chemical Monitoring
Education Outreach
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CURRENT STATUS
- WQ and CZM certification has been issued.
- Final Permit language and Decision Documents are being finalized.
- Date for Issuance in Alabama: 1 October 2011
Living Shoreline General Permit
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Superior Public Service Moving Forward
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QUESTIONS?
Corps HQ: http://www.usace.army.mil/inet/functions/cw/cecwo/reg
District Guidance and Access to Program InformationMobile District:
http://www.sam.usace.army.mil/RD/reg
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