Magnolia Springs Wants Its Springs Back, and the Work Starts at the Arboretum
October 15, 2026
October 15, 2026
"This park is located at the largest of dozens of springs in the area." That line is on the historical marker that stands about 100 yards from the parking area across from Oak Street on Magnolia Springs Highway. Most people walking through The Springs Arboretum & Gardens on Spring Street take the trees and pollinator beds as the point. Town records show the water under them has become one of the town's priorities for the next several years.
Magnolia Springs' new comprehensive plan lists "bringing back the springs" as a goal. Gulf Coast Media reported that the goal has already led to more research, restoration work and partnerships across the Magnolia River watershed. The plan, titled "Branching Out to Preserve Our Roots," received an Outstanding Planning Award from the Alabama Chapter of the American Planning Association. The award was presented at the joint Alabama-Mississippi conference in Auburn, held Sept. 29 to Oct. 1.
That puts this fall's biggest civic story and its best-attended garden party at the same address.
The springs were here long before the town. The marker repeats old stories that explorers and even pirate ships took drinking water from springs around the community. It also says that in 1865 The Springs refreshed Federal troops marching from Fort Morgan to Spanish Fort and Old Blakeley. The town's own history describes many natural springs along both banks of the Magnolia River and says the town took its name from them.
This is also not the first restoration. The marker thanks the Baldwin County Commission for an earlier "The Springs" Restoration Project, carried out with the town and the Magnolia Springs Garden Club. That project won the 2009 Gulf Guardian Award, sponsored by the Gulf of Mexico Program. The current effort is the second time in about two decades that the county, the town and the club have focused on this spot.
| Year | What happened at or around The Springs |
|---|---|
| 1865 | Federal troops rest at The Springs during the march north from Fort Morgan |
| 1900s | The "Wishing Well" is one of the community's main attractions |
| 1980s | Baldwin County builds terraces to make The Springs accessible |
| 2009 | The earlier Springs Restoration Project wins the Gulf Guardian Award |
| 2010 | Volunteers form Magnolia River Water Watch and sample river and spring water |
| March 2025 | Water Watch is revived with new volunteers |
| October 2025 | The town reports a GOMESA grant for springs restoration |
| June 2026 | The Geological Survey of Alabama proposes a monitoring well near The Springs |
| Fall 2026 | The comprehensive plan wins a statewide planning award |
Grant sizes show how seriously the town is taking the springs. At an October 14, 2025 council workshop, Town Clerk Hannah Driskell reported that Magnolia Springs had received a $924,000 GOMESA grant for springs restoration, with a $46,000 town match. At the same meeting, she reported an $80,000 grant from ACAMP and ADCNR to rewrite the town's zoning ordinance. The springs award is more than 11 times the zoning grant. The zoning rewrite matters too: it shapes how the whole town grows.
The state's announcement of 2025 GOMESA projects lists the Magnolia Springs Restoration Project at $878,346. The town's figure and the state's figure differ, and neither source explains the gap. The Fall/Winter 2026 town newsletter describes the project as restoring and protecting "the natural springs that gave Magnolia Springs its name." It lists the project's status as "monthly meetings in progress."
The springs also appear on the Planning Commission's priority list. Its recommendations, read into the record at the June 9, 2026 workshop, include advancing "Arboretum and Springs renovation projects" as a secondary priority. Keeping the Magnolia River's Outstanding Alabama Water designation is a top priority.
The most specific clue to what restoration might involve comes from the end of that June meeting. Councilmember Steve Mobley described a meeting with Baldwin County, the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program and the Geological Survey of Alabama. The Geological Survey has funding to install groundwater monitoring wells and wants to put one near The Springs. Town Engineer Matt Ingram will pick a site that won't interfere with the Springs Restoration Project. Mobley also raised the idea of boring through iron rock formations to restore spring flow. He added that the town will need sponsors after the grant ends to keep monitoring going.
The boring idea came up in discussion and has not been approved as a design. No source sets a construction start date, names a contractor or measures how much the springs have changed over time. What the town has so far is a funded project, a working group that meets monthly and state scientists interested in measuring the groundwater. In July 2026 the minutes add that the Geological Survey and Auburn University were interested in groundwater testing across the Magnolia River watershed.
Local volunteers have been doing the surface-water side of this work for some time. Magnolia River Water Watch started in 2010, when residents trained through Alabama Water Watch began sampling the river and the springs. The town credits that testing with helping the river earn its Outstanding Alabama Water designation. The group was revived in March 2025, after Mobile Baykeeper's SWIM Guide drew new attention to bacteria levels in parts of the watershed. By October 2025, Councilmember Bob Turner reported about 10 certified testers. A testing "blitz" at 14 sites found very little E. coli during a dry period, and the team was working to set up 14 long-term monthly testing sites.
Mobile Bay NEP Director Jason Kudulis told the council in June that his program is working with the Magnolia River Taskforce to find problems and solutions in the watershed. Volunteers sample the river, state geologists may soon be measuring the groundwater, and the town holds a grant to restore the springs where the river begins.
"The goal has always been to protect what makes Magnolia Springs special while making sure we're planning wisely for the future, and this plan gives us a roadmap to do just that." Mayor Ross Houser, speaking to Gulf Coast Media about the planning award
While the springs project is still in meetings, the Garden Club has been busy above ground. The club's third annual Meet 'Em in the Arboretum fall fundraiser runs from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 25, at The Springs Arboretum & Gardens, 14819 Spring St. Gulf Coast Media's preview lists wine, hors d'oeuvres, live music by Garrett Howell, raffled floral arrangements and a silent auction. The auction is new this year. Fundraising chair Kathryn McFadden said one of the featured pieces is by Foley artist Ragan Windsor.
Tickets are $50 and include hors d'oeuvres, two wine or beer tickets and the music. They are sold at Jesse's in Magnolia Springs, at Page and Palette in Fairhope and online through the Magnolia Springs Garden Club. Baldwin County Sewer Service is this year's title sponsor.
There may also be something new to see. The club is adding a Memorial Path and Garden, a walkway and planting bed leading to the Memorial Wall, installed by independent landscaper Mick Hartzler. The club hopes to unveil it at the Oct. 25 fundraiser. Money from the event pays for year-round maintenance, native trees and shrubs, pollinator gardens, educational programs and free public access. The club's future plans include more lighting, outdoor community venues, better parking and new signage.
On any other day, the arboretum is free and open from 8:30 a.m. to sunset. The club says native plants, new trails and "deeper connection to nature" are coming in 2026 and 2027. The Garden Club's plantings and the town's springs project now share the same small piece of ground.
The town's Fall/Winter 2026 newsletter lists these dates for the rest of the season:
Some of the money behind the springs work will also show up on that calendar. The newsletter says the town has secured more than $6 million in outside funding over the past year, toward projects worth more than $8.4 million in total. Those projects include the Town Center planned for the former Wesleyan Church property, which will become the permanent home of Town Hall. Its design is 60% complete. The springs project is still in monthly meetings, and The Springs Arboretum & Gardens remains open every day from 8:30 a.m. to sunset.
If you own property near the Magnolia River or the town center and want to talk through how the springs work, the zoning rewrite or the Town Center plans relate to your home, Will Henriksen is glad to share what he is following in Magnolia Springs. Let's Connect.
Stay up to date on the latest real estate trends.
Benefit from local expertise, personalized service, strong negotiation skills, and a commitment to helping you achieve your real estate goals.