A Foley wetland preserve to highlight stream restoration should be open in the upcoming year.
Work is continuing at the Andrew James Wetland Preserve near the source of the Bon Secour River. The Foley City Council recently voted to approve the construction of a road to provide access to the site.
The project is creating a publicly accessible passive recreation area in the constructed stormwater wetlands on the Bon Secour River headwaters. The city began work on the project as an effort to clear debris left by Hurricane Sally in 2020. The city later approved making the site a wetlands reserve.
The site is a floodwater mitigation structure, a natural water quality treatment system and a reserve for wildlife. It was fully funded through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
The reserve is scheduled to be completed in the 2027 fiscal year.
Leslie Gahagan, Foley sustainability and natural resources director, said that the project is already having an effect on the environment.
Rains cause the Bon Secour River to overflow into the site’s wetlands. The wetlands remove nonpoint source pollutants from the water. After several years of the project improving water quality, the ecosystem has flourished. The reserve now features waterfowl nesting areas, native wildflower populations and a pond full of fish.
She said visitors will be able to examine the wildlife and environment of the Bon Secour headwaters and learn how the site has been restored following the hurricane.
“This is a great opportunity to see stream restoration and the after effects,” she said. “This is probably one of the key ones that people come to see in the county.”
The road project will provide access to the site and create a small parking lot that can accommodate up to two buses.
The new reserve is named for Andrew James, an engineer who helped design the project, who died in 2023.
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