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Dauphin Island, AL
Archive of Historical Data, Books, Maps
And Other Materials
Taken from the Editorial Page
Islanders Will Have To Turn To Congress
Monday, November 30, 2009
THE BEST thing that can be said about the $1.5 million settlement of Dauphin Island residents'
lawsuit against the federal government is that it ends nearly a decade of legal wrangling
over the impact of dredging in the Mobile Ship Channel.
But that $1.5 million won't go very far toward achieving a solution for the erosion that's
destroying the island's west end. Many millions of dollars will be needed to support a project
aimed at mitigating the damage caused by storms and the daily pounding of waves on the
island's beaches.
The $1.44 million provided by the federal government in the settlement (the state of Alabama
will pay another $60,000) may fund a feasibility study for a beach renourishment project as
well as limited engineering work. However, the Dauphin Island Property Owners Association
obviously hoped for more when it filed a lawsuit in 2000 claiming that dredging by the
U.S. Army of Corps of Engineers in the Mobile Ship Channel was causing erosion on the island.
But as Dauphin Island Mayor Jeff Collier said, that battle is over now. Islanders must change
their focus and redouble their efforts to persuade Congress to include Dauphin Island in
the massive federal restoration of the barrier islands in the Mississippi Sound.
Earlier this year, Congress approved $439 million to restore Mississippi's barrier islands.
Dauphin Island is part of the same barrier island chain, but Congress didn't see fit to
include it in the restoration program.
In approving the funding, Congress noted that the program offers many benefits,
including building up islands that serve as a buffer against storms. The project's value
as a coastal protection measure also should help economic redevelopment in areas hard-hit
by Hurricane Katrina.
These goals dovetail with Dauphin Island residents' beach restoration plans.
We hope U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner and Alabama's U.S. senators, Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby,
will carry that message to the Capitol next year.
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