Comas Residence - Tuscaloosa

The Comas property is a 30-acre rugged riverside woodland. The land is a restored coal mining transfer facility of mostly tailings, gravel, and bedrock outcrops. The forest was planted 50 years ago during shutdown and reclamation and is now needing serious management for the mature but shallow-rooted trees in poor soil.

The owners are seeking a sustainable use of the land and conversion from the concrete coal storage lots to meadow and agriculture. Stabilizing the eroded streambed and planting around the sediment retention reservoir is a primary ecological concern. In 2021 the streambed below the reservoir pond was restored with large stones to increase waterfall action and oxygenation prior to entering the Black Warrior River. An additional overflow culvert and a shoreline spillway were added to the adjacent dam to account for increased rainfall events since its installation.   In 2022 a 1.5-acre concrete slab used for coal storage was covered with rock, gravel, soil and reclaimed to a grass and clover meadow. The final design includes grazing for small livestock, gardens, barns, sheds, added check dam waterfalls along the stream, campsites, a beach, and numerous picnic areas.