Finding innovative and unique ways to repurpose or use readily available materials is a good way to ensure sustainability and save money. The USACE Mobile District, in partnership with the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) and USACE’s Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), uses the dredged material from the Mobile Bay to assist the environment.

ERDC used dredged material or sediment from the bay to make an oyster reef using a 3-D printer . The Mobile District and MBNEP assisted in deploying it at an oyster farm on the Mon Louis Beach in Dauphin Island, Alabama.