DREDGING GOING ON AT LITTLE LAGOON PASS, Gulf Shores, AL

It's been about 2 years since the Little Lagoon Pass has been dredged- and probably a little past due according to a mandatory court order established in 1992 which requires the pass to be "maintained" to prevent potential flooding of property along the banks of the lagoon. Not only private property, but it also affects the State Park, which feeds into the lagoon on the extreme east end, as well as the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge on the west end.

The Alabama Department of Transportation has begun the maintenance dredging of Little Lagoon Pass, as of February 28, 2022, to address the siltation of the channel. Properties within one mile west of the Little Lagoon Pass should expect some minor impacts over the next several weeks.

“The channel is there not necessarily for navigability but for water quality, so we have to have a certain depth and width of the channel to maintain a proper exchange of water from the lagoon to the Gulf of Mexico,” said Mark Acreman with the city.

The project estimated at around $1 million will involve dredging of nearly 50,000 cubic yards of sand from the Little Lagoon Pass over to the beachfront properties to the west. This is part of the "beach enrichment process" for those properties where the natural movement of sand is otherwise interrupted by the man-made channel, causing detrimental erosion to those properties on the west side.

The city of Gulf Shores asks residents and visitors to please use caution around any work zones and do not climb on the barge or equipment for any reason. For additional information or questions, please contact the Engineering Department at 251-968-6583.