On Tuesday, Jan. 28, the Isle of Palms City Council approved a $50,000 allocation to install 100 new sandbags along a vulnerable stretch of beach near Seagrove Lane and Beachwood East. The decision addresses a gap in the shoal that has allowed waves to encroach on the dry sand beach in front of five to six properties.
Steven Traynum, a coastal expert with Coastal Science and Engineering, reported generally favorable beach and weather conditions for the Isle of Palms so far this year.
“The beach right now is in as good of a condition as we’ve seen it anytime within the past year,” Traynum said. “We’re in a really good window right now as far as tides go; we see that reflected in the condition of the beach.”
He noted that no tides exceeding six feet are forecast until late March, with the next king tide event expected in April.
Traynum also outlined an estimated timeline for ongoing and upcoming beach preservation projects. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) anticipates completing its beneficial use project on Sullivan’s Island by the end of February. Once finished, equipment will be moved to the Isle of Palms, where crews will dredge 50,000 to 60,000 cubic yards of sand from the Breach Inlet channel. That sand will be placed between 2nd and 9th avenues. Dredging is expected to take about two weeks, with crews working at a pace of 6,000 to 8,000 cubic yards per day.
Following the inlet dredge, a larger-scale project will begin, adding 500,000 cubic yards of sand as part of the USACE’s beneficial use program, similar to the work wrapping up on Sullivan’s Island.
As construction extends into sea turtle nesting season, USACE will implement additional protections for endangered species. Daily beach patrols will monitor and identify nests to ensure minimal disruption while work continues.
The USACE project is designed to limit disruptions, with only about 100 feet of beach closed at any given time. Beachgoers will still be able to access the shoreline by walking behind the construction zone. However, a separate city-led effort to truck sand from the harvest zone may cause more significant disruptions. Traynum expressed optimism that this supplemental project could be completed before Memorial Day weekend, minimizing the impact on the start of the summer tourism season.
