The City of Loxley has completed a major restoration project along the Corn Branch Tributary, bringing improvements to water quality, stormwater management, wildlife habitat and the long-term health of the Corn Branch watershed.

The restored area extends east of County Road 49, adjacent to the former Loxley Elementary School site and continues through the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant property, a news release from the city said.

The $2,214,514.86 project was designed to restore the natural function of the stream, reduce erosion and sedimentation and enhance an important natural area within Loxley. The work includes an enhanced stream channel, stormwater wetlands, improved riparian buffers and Low Impact Development techniques designed to create a more natural and sustainable drainage system.

As part of the restoration, the existing drainage way was regraded into a more natural, serpentine stream pattern. The design is intended to slow stormwater and flood flows, giving sediment time to settle while vegetation filters nutrients and other pollutants before they move farther downstream.

Native grasses, wildflowers, shrubs and trees were planted throughout the restored area to stabilize stream banks and establish a healthy riparian buffer. The improvements are expected to help protect water quality and the watershed while providing improved habitat for birds, reptiles, insects and other native wildlife.

The project was funded through a federal grant awarded in 2024 by the RESTORE Council under the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012, also known as the RESTORE Act. The grant was administered by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Thompson Engineering, Inc. served as the project’s design engineer and Streamline Environmental, LLC served as the general contractor.

The City of Loxley will continue to monitor the restored area as native vegetation becomes established and the stream system matures. Over time, the project is expected to provide lasting water-quality, drainage, habitat and environmental benefits for Loxley residents and the surrounding Baldwin County watershed.