The Alabama State Senate voted to put an end to “thin-layer” dredge disposal inside Mobile Bay, a practice that has drawn years of criticism from environmental groups, fishermen and coastal residents who say it clouds the water and smothers marine habitat.
The bill now heads to Gov. Kay Ivey’s desk for her signature. If she signs it, the new law would take effect Oct. 1. State Rep. Rhett Marques, R-Enterprise, originally filed the legislation, and state Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, carried the bill through the Senate.
With the vote, Alabama joins a growing list of states, including Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and North Carolina, that have adopted policies restricting the in-bay dumping of dredged material.
The state legislation is designed to work alongside federal law. It mirrors a measure championed by U.S. Sen. Katie Britt in 2024 that requires the Army Corps of Engineers to put at least 70 percent of dredged material toward “beneficial use,” such as marsh creation, shoreline protection, industrial or commercial applications, and restoration of eroding coastal habitats. After Britt’s federal legislation passed, the Corps’ Mobile District began describing its in-bay dredge disposal as a form of beneficial use. Alabama’s new state law closes that loophole, explicitly stating that dumping dredged material inside Mobile Bay does not qualify.
Environmental advocates who have pushed for years to end the practice called the Senate vote a milestone, while cautioning that the fight is not over. “This is a huge win for the people of Coastal Alabama, but it is not the end,” said William Strickland, executive director of Mobile Baykeeper. “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 said advocates now want to see the practice banned permanently at the federal level as well, and he is calling on Sen. Britt to include language addressing the issue in the next Water Resources Development Act. “The people who rely on our waters know there is much more work to do to bring them back,” Strickland said. “I am proud to stand with my friends who depend on our waters’ health for our way of life.”
The bill drew a broad coalition of support from across the Gulf Coast region. Backers included the mayors of Bayou La Batre, Spanish Fort and Daphne, along with the Baldwin REALTORS, Alabama’s Beaches: The Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau, and several property owners associations. Commercial fishing interests also lined up behind the legislation, including the Alabama Commercial Fishermens Association, Eat Alabama Wild Seafood, Admiral Shellfish Company, Bama Bay Oyster Farm and the Organized Seafood Association of Alabama.