on the east side of the pass has been a part of Florida, but would be 

 transferred to Alabama under an agreement ratified by both legislatures, 

 subject to approval by Congress. The State of Alabama proposes to 

 acquire about 2 miles of Plorida Point for development as a recreational 

 area. The immediate tributary area is sparsely settled, but a population 

 of about 400,000 is located within a 50-miles radius, including the city 

 of Mobile. The Gulf shore is increasing in importance as a recreational 

 area. 



The low mainland bluffs are composed of erodible materials which 

 have furnished large quantities of sand to the shore. As a result erabay- 

 ments are separated from the Gulf by extensive barrier beaches. The 

 barrier beach across Perdido Bay is about 8 miles in length broken only 

 by the narrow pass. Ono Island about 5 miles in length is the remains 

 of an earlier barrier lying behind the present beach. Tides in the area 

 are diurnal, the mean diurnal range being 1.3 feet. The principal wave 

 action is from the southeast. As indicated by inlet migration, the 

 predominant littoral drift is westward. There is no evidence of important 

 reversals in direction. The estimated volume of westward drift is 200,000 

 cubic yards annually. Erosion of Alabama Point is caused by waves 

 entering from the Gulf and strong tidal currents forced against the point 

 by westward elongation of Florida Point. 



The District Engineer developed plans for protecting Alabama Point 

 and stabilizing Perdido Pass. The alternative methods are (a) a single 

 jetty extending southwestward from Florida Point, (b) an offshore break- 

 water off Florida Point, or (c) a steel sheet pile bulkhead around 

 Alabama Point. The Division and District Engineers concluded that the 

 most suitable plan for the intended purpose considering all costs, 

 advantages and disadvantages consists of a single rubble-mound jetty 

 about 3,100 feet long extending southwestward from Florida Point. They 

 concluded further that the plan was not justified by evaluated benefits, 

 but that intangible and secondary benefits not sufficient to warrant 

 Federal participation may be considered by the State in its own evaluation 

 of the plan and in comparison with the alternative of bridging the pass 

 farther inland. Accordingly they recommended that no Federal project 

 for stabilization of the pass in the interest of protecting Alabama Point 

 be authorized at this time. 



The Beach Erosion Board concurred in the views and recommendations of 

 the Division and District Engineers but desired to emphasize the fact 

 that stabilization of a migrating inlet is a difficult and costly problem, 

 and that the jetty plan considered most suitable by the District Engineer 

 must include a dredging program to supply material to the downarift shore 

 and to prevent deterioration of the channel. 



The Chief of Engineers concurred in the views and recommendations 

 of the Beach Erosion Board. 



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