GULF SHORES, Alabama --

Heavy equipment is once again on the beaches of Gulf Shores putting back what Mother Nature and time has taken away.

"Going from Laguna Key which is the end of our city limits to the west, to the Florida line." City marine resource manager Brandan Franklin says sand is being pumped from what is called borrow sites off shore. The initial concern was those sites may have been contaminated by the BP oil spill. He says extensive testing was done before the first grain hit the shoreline. "Anytime you go to the bottom of the gulf and get new sand it's going to have this greyish tint but in not time at all it'll be bleached white, perfect match."

Once crews are finished in Gulf Shores they're going to skip the state park and head straight to Orange Beach hoping to build back the beach before spring breakers arrive.

"We're looking for the last week of January right before the first," says Orange Beach marine resource manager Phillip West.

Huge dredge pipes are already in place along the beach. "There will be some disruption along the beach. Watch the work zones and there'll be crossings at the pipes. You will be able to get to the shoreline. Pardon our progress."

Once Orange Beach is finished crews will head to the state park beaches. By the end of the project the beach will extend an additional 30 yards into the Gulf of Mexico. An important buffer during hurricane season.

"By putting additional sand on the beach, elevating the beach, anytime we get a storm the water and storm surge is less likely to damage the structures along the coast," says Franklin. "We can get that added protection it's well worth the money."

From Laguna Key to Highway 59 and Beach Boulevard is already finished. A few more days and the project will be out of Gulf Shores.

The price tag for the project, 16 million dollars. FEMA is paying for about 75 percent of that.

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Rebuilding Baldwin Beaches