Restoring a Marsh, Restoring a Bay

Over the years, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) staff at the Weeks Bay Reserve began observing periodic algal blooms in the bay, sometimes accompanied by fish kills and low-oxygen conditions that affected aquatic life and drew the attention of local community members. These occasional blooms led researchers, restoration experts, educators, and federal partners nearly two decades ago to investigate potential causes and launch a collaborative restoration effort to improve the health of the watershed. 

Reserve scientists and staff started investigating observations of discolored water, fish kills, and poor water quality. Utilizing long-term monitoring data from the National Estuarine Research Reserve System-Wide Monitoring Program (NERRS SWMP), staff confirmed that periods of extremely low dissolved oxygen and high turbidity corresponded with bloom events.

“Pinpointing the source of the algal bloom required collaboration with local researchers,” says Eric Brunden, Stewardship Coordinator at the Reserve. “Scientists worked with the Reserve’s research coordinator and studied algal species, tracked bloom timing, and analyzed weather patterns and water movement.” 

Over time, consensus developed as to a surprising culprit: canals dredged decades earlier as part of a former RV park development on the site prior to the time the property was acquired by the Reserve. These man-made canals created deep, poorly flushed, dead-end waterways where algae could thrive under the right conditions. During storms or heavy rain events, algae would flush from the canals into the bay, where they would expand rapidly and contribute to widespread ecological impacts.

“Once the connection became clear, we turned our attention toward restoration planning and ADCNR initiated efforts to identify possible funding sources necessary to support the on-the-ground restoration work,” says Brunden. 

ADCNR, which represented the State of Alabama on the RESTORE Act’s Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, suggested the project to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which also served on the Council. NOAA, through its Connecting Coastal Waters initiative, was immediately supportive of joining ADCNR in pursuing approval of the project as a part of the Council’s Initial Funded Priorities List. Once approved and with support from partners, NOAA began a large-scale effort to fill in the artificial canals and restore the marsh. The project required extensive environmental modeling, and years of planning, professional engineering, procurement of contractors, and approximately $1.5 million in RESTORE Act grant funding. This intensive effort ultimately enabled NOAA to successfully fill the canals and reshape the site to better mimic the area’s historic hydrology. 

Today, native marsh plants are returning across the site, including bulltongue arrowhead (Sagittaria lancifolia), cattails (Typha sp.), pickerelweed (Pontedaria cordata), and sawgrass (Cladium sp.), which are indicators of a healthier marsh, one better to process nutrients in runoff. Tidal creeks have reformed, water now moves more freely through the landscape, and wildlife has returned, including otters, alligators, and nesting ospreys and herons.

“The flora in the restored marsh appear to be naturally regenerating, and we continue to monitor its progress,” says Ashley Griffin, the Reserve’s research and monitoring technician. “We are grateful for the RESTORE Council’s approval of the grant funding and for NOAA’s implementation of this project which has been transformative for the Reserve.”

The project officially wrapped construction in early 2024, and Reserve staff are now focused on vegetation monitoring and long-term ecosystem recovery.

Beyond the ecological benefits, the project has also become a living classroom. High school students have participated in native plantings, university classes help monitor the marsh each year, and visitors can now see firsthand how science, restoration, and community partnerships work together to protect coastal ecosystems.

The Weeks Bay Reserve is a facility of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, State Lands Division.