Beach renourishment during Grand Strand tourist season not ideal but necessary – Charleston Post Courier

Nobody was happy about the timing when it was announced earlier this year the first phase of a $26.3 million project to rebuild Horry Countys beaches would begin during peak tourist season.

In a perfect scenario, this would be done exclusively during the off-season, but the good news is our beaches are being renourished, and thats not just good for the Grand Strand, but for all of South Carolina, said Brad Dean, president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Army Corps of Engineers project involves restoring about 11 of 60 miles of Grand Strand shorefront by pumping sand from the ocean floor onto the beach.

The $26.3 million beach renourishment project will pump 1.2 million cubic yards of sand on 11 miles of the Grand Strand that were affected by hurricanes in 2015 and 2016.

Because shells and mud are mixed in with the sand, the "new" sand often appears lighter at first, but within days, the sun will oxidize it and turn it lighter.

The purpose of the Myrtle Beach Storm Damage Reduction Project is to rebuild dunes that were flattened and beaches swept away during Hurricane Matthew in October and Hurricane Joaquin a year earlier. The project is considered an emergency that needed to be done as soon as possible, officials said.

Its underway. Its very necessary and were thrilled to see it happening, although we would prefer to see it after the summer, Dean said.

About 18 million people visit the Myrtle Beach area annually and so far the construction has been an inconvenience to those who are near it but has not caused a major hit to the economy, he said.

Work started in mid-July near the Surfside Beach Pier and is working its way north to Myrtle Beach State Park. It is currently in front of Ocean Lakes Family Campground.

The around-the-clock work involves closing about 1,000 feet of beach for two or three days while renourishment is in progress. Contractor Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co. pumps about 40,000 cubic yards of sand daily, completing about 500 feet of beach. As soon as a section is built up it is reopened.

In addition, large pipes run along the beach parallel to the ocean even outside of the construction area, with walk-overs built from sand to provide ocean access.

The renourishment itself only happens in a very isolated portion of the Grand Strand, but if its happening right outside of your hotel or beach house you certainly notice it, Dean said.

Small sections of Grand Strand beaches are closed temporarily for a renourishment project to replace sand lost in recent hurricanes and storms. Ocean Lakes Family Campground/Provided

Many would-be vacationers have watched anxiously for construction updates on websites and on social media, but the progress is difficult to predict. Few people have canceled vacations, Dean said, but some rental companies have moved guests to other properties.

Ocean Lakes has posted updates on Facebook, Twitter, a blog and its website in addition to directly emailing vacationers who are affected.

We explained that we know the timing is not ideal but we had no control over this, said campground spokeswoman Barb Krumm. The guests had a lot of concerns but we are just trying to make the best of it because we know how precious their vacation time is.

Many guests were worried about beach access but only about 20 percent of Ocean Lakes frontage will be affected at a time, she said.

The campground also offers earplugs to guests who complain about nighttime noise from heavy equipment back-up alarms and hydraulic pumps, which also cause vibrations, and will refund the difference to anyone who cuts their vacation short due to the construction.

Just a week after work started in mid-July, it stopped when the hose between the dredge and the beach ruptured, then repairs were delayed by bad weather.

After nine days, dredging resumed Aug. 4 but it was too late for Rita Mansfield, whose rental house was nearby.

A family vacation of a lifetime on the oceanfront became the disappointment of a lifetime, she wrote on Surfside Beachs Facebook page on Aug. 4. Our view was the construction equipment and huge pipes on the beach. The one night the pumps were working kept us up all night.

She wrote that the equipment and its noise scared her autistic grandson, who left the vacation early. Mansfield did not respond to a message seeking additional comment.

We get some queries about noise, said Glenn Jeffries, spokeswoman for the Army Corps of Engineers' Charleston District office, which includes Myrtle Beach. We know that there are going to be some inconveniences because the operation is 24-7, but its a short-term inconvenience for a long-term benefit.

Horry Countys beaches not only support the local economy but also help protect more than $3.7 billion in beachfront property and provide habitats for sea turtles, shore birds and other marine wildlife, according to the chamber.

A lot of times people dont understand that recreation is a great plus benefit, but thats not the purpose of the project, Jeffries said. Its really to provide storm damage reduction and to help protect people on the property behind the dunes. It does provide a wider beach, which people enjoy and thats great, but thats not the purpose of the project.

Even without the hurricane damage the area would have needed rehabilitation soon, Jeffries said. Beaches typically are renourished every decade, and the Grand Strandwas last built up in 2008.

The current phase is expected to be completed by the end of August, then the project moves back to the pier and goes south to Georgetown County, which will take about another month. In all, the Corps will put about 800,000 cubic yards of sand on 7 miles of beach.

The Army Corps of Engineers has created a map to track progress of the renourishment project on a real-time basis that can be found at http://www.sac.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/.

The North Myrtle Beach portion will start after that, pumping 400,000 cubic yards of sand on a 3-mile stretch. The city is kicking in an additional $1 million to rebuild its sand dunes.

Surfside Beach, Garden City and North Myrtle Beach received federal emergency beach rehabilitation funding in March for the work.

Beaches are the lifeblood of the Grand Strand, and theyve been hit hard over the past few years, U.S. Rep. Tom Rice, R-S.C., said in a statement at the time. Rice worked with the Corps and the House Appropriations Committee to get the funding.

The project includes $21.5 million in federal money, $2.4 million from the state, $1.25 million from Horry County, $672,000 from Surfside Beach and $480,000 from Georgetown County.

Myrtle Beach, which secured $16 million in funding in May, will likely begin pumping sand to build up that area in the spring and finish before the 2018 tourist season. That citys funding will only cover about 65 percent of the project.