An Isle of Palms homeowner whose property has been hit hard by the effects of erosion near Breach Inlet appreciates the city’s efforts to help, but he also thinks IOP officials are taking the wrong approach to solving the problems that have plagued the southwest end of the island for the better part of a year.
Paul Jorgensen, who has owned the home at 116 Ocean Blvd. for three years, said the erosion problem began last May and has continued to worsen, reaching a crescendo with the storm that blistered the island on Dec. 17.
“December was the biggie. It really ate up all of the dune system, a lot of our property and all of our walkway,” he said on Feb. 17, three days before the City Council was to consider two emergency ordinances that would let homeowners between 100 and 914 Ocean Blvd. build seawalls or revetments to protect their homes.
He added, however, that he thinks the city is headed in the wrong direction by paying a construction company to scrape sand while waiting for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project that will deliver 500,000 cubic yards of sand to the beach.
“They have tried hard to protect our houses, but their strategy has proven to be a failure. I say that because the sand scraping is great and we’re very appreciative, but it’s not fixing the issue. We need to be dredging the inlet. We need to push the water back,” he commented.
He went on to say that his biggest frustration is that both a city ordinance and the regulations of the Ocean & Resource Management division of the state Department of Health and Environmental Control have until now prohibited homeowners from taking action to hold back the ocean with seawalls or revetments.
“The ordinance that prevents us from protecting our own property is ridiculous,” he said.
Jorgensen also is upset that the city is not addressing what he called “the bigger issue.”
“They’re banking on the Army Corps project renourishing our beach, but the Corps has been very clear,” he remarked. “This is not a renourishing program. It probably will help a little, but it’s not the magic bullet the city thinks it is. Their overall strategy is flawed. They have a failed plan with no backup. That’s a source of extreme frustration for me.”
Jorgensen said the Dec. 17 storm brought the ocean within 12 to 15 feet of his pool, which he pointed out is only around 5 feet from his house. He said if the City Council was to approve one of the emergency ordinances on Feb. 20, he’ll put up some type of revetment to protect his home. Beyond that, he thinks the issue could end up in court. Right now, though, he’s more concerned about keeping the ocean from damaging his home.
“I’ve been so focused on how we stop the erosion and protect my property legally, I haven’t worried about what comes next,” he commented, concluding that “The city needs a strategy to manage the inlet and they appear to have none.”