The Pensacola Bay Living Shoreline Project is a large scale living shoreline to be constructed in southwestern Pensacola Bay around Naval Air Station Pensacola and near the entrance to Bayou Grande.  The Project includes three distinct areas:  Site A – White Island; Site B – Magazine Point at NAS Eastern Shore; and Site C – Sherman Inlet/Lake Frederic at NAS Southern Shore.  Please reference the Project Location Map image below.  Project goals include: creating and restoring aquatic habitat; protecting base infrastructure; and enhancing the coastal resilience of NAS Pensacola and the surrounding community. 

Living shorelines address coastal erosion and enhance coastal resilience to the effects of severe storms and sea level rise. Long-term protection is provided by reducing wave energy and restoring vegetated shoreline habitats through strategic placement of plants, rock, and oyster reefs.  Living shorelines also stabilize sediment, improve water quality, and enhance habitats for oysters, fish, shrimp, crabs, birds, sea turtles and other estuarine species.  The Pensacola Bay Living Shoreline Project is designed to create approximately 20,000 linear feet of emergent and submerged reefs and breakwaters and 200 acres of emergent marsh and submerged aquatic vegetation habitat. 

Project design has been funded by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) via the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council from RESTORE Act Pot 2 funding, and by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity through a Defense Community Infrastructure Grant. 

Project construction and monitoring is being funded by:  three grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation - two from the National Coastal Resilience Fund and one from the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund; a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense - Defense Community Infrastructure Program; a grant from FDEP- Resilient Florida Program; and a grant from the RESTORE Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council through FDEP. 

The project will be bid as two separate construction projects.  The first project consists of Sites B and C.  Site B (Magazine Point) requires an estimate of 33,000 tons of rock, 175,000 cubic yards of sand and 629,000 plants to be installed, resulting in 65 acres of marsh and submerged aquatic vegetation habitat to be restored. Site C (Sherman Inlet/Lake Frederic) requires an estimate of 57,000 tons of rock and 390,000 cubic yards of sand to be installed, resulting in 20 acres of shoreline habitat and 29 acres of submerged aquatic vegetation habitat to be restored.  The second project consists of Site A (White Island).  It requires an estimate of 24,000 tons of rock and 370,000 cubic yards of sand, and 741,000 plants to be installed, resulting in 71 acres of marsh habitat and 50 acres of submerged aquatic vegetation habitat to be restored.

Escambia County is pleased to partner with Naval Air Station Pensacola, our grantors, and community stakeholders to implement this critically important coastal resilience project. 

Watch a video tour of the Pensacola Living Shoreline Project online here.