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Beach Renourishment Project

The Beach Renourishment Project is complete. Check back on this page for news and other updates on future projects.

The Grand Strand is known for its 60 miles of beaches. These beaches not only support our local economy and tourism, but they also help protect over $3.5 billion worth of shorefront property and provide critical habitat for sea turtles, shorebirds, and other marine wildlife. To protect our valuable beaches and minimize the impact of recent storm damage, a beach renourishment project began in 2017, pumping sand onto Surfside, Garden City, and North Myrtle Beaches.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District, will begin a storm damage reduction project in North Myrtle Beach on May 13th. The project will be executed by Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, LLC.

The nourishment will include approximately 2.7 miles on North Myrtle Beach from 22nd Avenue North to 54th Avenue North and Ocean Creek Drive to 43rd Avenue South. Approximately 280,000 cubic yards of material will be placed along this stretch. The project is anticipated to take 30-45 days and will then transition to Garden City. This storm damage reduction project is 100 percent federally funded as a result of impacts from Hurricane Florence.

“The storm damage reduction project aims to minimize the impacts to people and property behind the dunes in a storm event,” said Wes Wilson, project manager. “While we acknowledge that people may see temporary inconveniences while the project is underway, the project has many long-term benefits, especially during storm season.”

The public will be able to track the progress of the project on a real-time basis located on the Charleston District’s web mapper. During active construction, the majority of these beaches will remain open and available for the public to enjoy.

The contractor works 24 hours a day, seven days a week during construction, usually completing up to 500 feet per day, barring mechanical or weather/sea condition delays. This means that active construction moves quickly and will only be in front of any particular building or area for two or three days. Pipelines running along the beach outside of the fenced area can safely be crossed where the contractor places crossover sand ramps over the pipes. The public should keep away from lines and only cross them at the sand crossovers.

As the project will take place during sea turtle nesting season, the contractor will comply with the requirements of the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammals Protection Act.

UPDATE ON THE SOUTH END: Following the NMB project, crews will be heading to the Garden City/Surfside Beach areas, as you can see from the map. Approximately 2.1 miles of Garden City/Surfside Beach (Reach 3) from Stations 130 to 193 (around Cobia Trail to Yaupon Avenue) and from Stations 205 to 251 (around Virginia Lane to Oceanside Drive).

This is the area that wasn't renourished in the last project.  The Irma project focused on areas north (around the campgrounds).  Also, if there was no Florence there would be no more renourishments.  Although not ideal timing this section of the beach could really use the additional sand.  Our next cycle for renourishment (w/o) storm impacts is in another 6-8 years.

Surfside Beach And Garden City Beach Beach Renourishment
Schedule For June 2019

*Locations are approximate based on the map.

  • June 6 – between Vista Dr. and Calhoun Dr.
  • June 7 – between Calhoun Dr. and Hawes Ave.
  • June 8 – between Hawes Ave. and Dixon Dr.
  • June 9 – between Dixon Dr. and Oceanside Dr.
  • June 10 – between Vista Dr. south and Sunset Dr.
  • June 11- 12 – between Sunset Dr. and Virginia Ln.
  • June 13 – between Cedar Ave. and Yucca Ave.
  • June 14 – June 17, 2019 – south from Yucca Ave.
  • June 18 – between Holly Ave. and Cedar Ave.
  • June 19 – between Holly Ave. and Azalea Ave.
  • June 20 – between Azalea Ave. and Magnolia Ave.
  • June 21 – between Magnolia Ave. and Yaupon Ave.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will The Beaches Be Open?

Yes. Although certain inconveniences are unavoidable, the project will be conducted as quickly, efficiently and safely as possible. During active construction, most of these beaches will remain open and available for the public to enjoy. An area of about 1,000 feet long is closed for two or three days while renourishment is in progress, but temporary beach access ramps will accommodate visitors to the beach. As soon as a section is built up, it is immediately re-opened.

The contractor works 24 hours a day, seven days a week during construction, usually completing up to 500 feet per day, barring mechanical or weather/sea condition delays. This means that active construction moves quickly and will only be in front of any building or area for two or three days.

“Both the Corps and our non-federal sponsors for this project, the City of North Myrtle Beach and Horry County, acknowledge that construction during the summer will cause temporary inconveniences to people using these stretches of beach for recreation,” said Wes Wilson, project manager. “However, beginning the construction project now enables the major, long-term benefits of protecting people and property from storm damage to be realized as soon as possible.”

Even then, the area fenced off is usually about 1,000 feet long, so it's easy to go around the active construction area. Pipelines running along the beach outside of the fenced area can safely be crossed where the contractor places crossover sand ramps over the pipes. The public should keep away from lines and only cross them at the sand crossovers.

The public can track the progress of the project on a real-time basis, including where the temporary closure will take place, with an interactive map created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

What Are The Working Hours For The Project?

The project is permitted for and will be constructed, 24 hours a day, seven (7) days a week

What Can Be Done About The Noise From The Machinery Back-Up Alarms?

The back-up alarms cannot be turned off. The alarms are a safety device required by federal law to protect people from being hit by machinery when the driver is unable to see directly behind his equipment.

Will There Be Vibration Monitoring Along The Beachfront For Existing Structures?

Yes. A firm is contracted to monitor vibrations from the construction equipment throughout the project.

How Does The Sand Get To The Beach?

The sand is dredged from the offshore borrow areas into a hopper dredge. The hopper dredge motors from the borrow area closer to the project site and hooks up to a submerged pipeline. The submerged pipeline runs from just off the beach up onto the beach and connects to shore pipeline, which runs laterally along the dry beach. The sand is discharged as a water/sand slurry mixture through the pipeline, and bulldozers reshape the sand to meet the designed construction template.

The nourishment sand will be excavated by a hydraulic dredge and picks up small amounts of shell and mud with the sand. For that reason, newly placed sand at first often appears quite dark. Within a few days, however, the sun oxidizes the non-sandy material, and the beach eventually turns as light as it was before the project.

What About Sea Turtle Nesting?

Since this project takes place during a portion of sea turtle nesting season, the Corps is working with South Carolina United Turtle Enthusiasts who have already begun relocating nests away from areas of the beach that will be nourished.

Why Is Beach Renourishment Important?

Beach renourishment is an environmentally sensitive and educational opportunity that benefits both residents and visitors. A wider beach provides extended storm protection in Horry County for more than $3.7 billion of oceanfront residential and business properties. A wider beach ensures a protected and sustained natural environment for the sea turtles and sea birds that make their homes or nest on our beaches.

How Often Is Beach Renourishment Needed?

A beach renourishment is necessary every seven to 10 years, depending on weather conditions and storms passing through the area. Horry County’s last beach renourishment was in 2008.

Additional Resources