A Foley project aimed at improving drainage and reducing flooding in the Beulah Heights community is nearing completion with the help of nearly $390,000 in grant funding from the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program.

The Beulah Heights Regional Stormwater Facility in southeast Foley is expected to be completed this fall, Leslie Gahagan, Foley's sustainability and natural resources director, told Foley City Council.

The council voted to accept an additional $70,000 grant from the MBNEP to help finish the project. The organization previously provided about $320,000 for the drainage program.

"We've been working with them on the Beulah Heights Stormwater Management Facility," Gahagan said. "To date, they've given us about $320,000 in grant funds. They added another $70,000, which will bring us to $390,000 to complete that project."

The Alabama Department of Environmental Management also previously provided grant funding to help cover costs associated with the Beulah Heights project.

The current project is designed to improve drainage across 480 acres in southeast Foley. Efforts to improve drainage in the Beulah area have been underway since 2008.

The stormwater facility will allow the city to expand drainage and water quality improvements while reducing the potential for flooding in the area.

Before the improvements, stormwater runoff flowed directly into Wolf Creek. The drainage project instead allows water to be diverted into retention basins, helping reduce the damage caused by runoff.

Planned improvements also include a system designed to trap sediment before it settles into the retention pond. The system will allow the city to remove accumulated sediment without having to dig it out of the pond.

Once the stormwater facility is completed this fall, Foley will continue additional drainage improvements in the Beulah area.