FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 5, 2009
DHEC releases 2009 State of the Beaches Report
CHARLESTON, S.C. - South Carolina’s beaches have largely been spared from major storms in recent years, but erosion persists in several areas, the state Department of Health and Environmental Control announced today.
“Almost all of South Carolina’s beaches experience some degree of chronic erosion, but some beaches are more stable than others,” said Carolyn Boltin-Kelly, deputy commissioner for DHEC’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management. “ Typically, beaches at the ends of barrier islands in un-stabilized inlet zones experience the greatest amount of shoreline change. However, all beaches shift and change depending on seasonal tide variation, storms and gradual sea-level rise.”
Boltin-Kelly said the 2009 State of the Beaches Report is an analysis of beach monitoring data collected in 2008 through a partnership with Coastal Carolina University and the College of Charleston.
Annual monitoring of beachfront erosion and accretion is a critical component in our ability to understand, plan and adapt to long-term shoreline change,” she said.
According to Boltin-Kelly, two major beach renourishment projects were completed in 2008 to counteract the effects of chronic erosion.
“The Isle of Palms project placed 885,000 cubic yards of sand along 2.6 miles of beach on the northeast end of the island,” Boltin-Kelly said. “The Grand Strand project was constructed in three phases, and placed 2.9 million cubic yards of sand along 26 miles of shoreline in North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach and Garden City.”
According to the report, the beaches most vulnerable to erosion, with sand deficits and a minimal dry-sand beach width at high tide, from Beaufort County north through Horry County include:
- Hunting Island - Several cabins on the southwestern end of the island were lost to erosion during 2007 and 2008, and other cabins remain threatened.
- Harbor Island - Chronic erosion in portions of the northeastern end of the island has resulted in ocean water coming up under several houses at high tide.
- Sullivans Island - Similar to Harbor Island, chronic erosion at the northeastern end of the island, near Breach Inlet, has also resulted in ocean water coming up under several houses at high tide.
- Pawleys Island - Many houses on the southern end of the island, near Pawleys Inlet, have minimal protection. The parking area, which provides most of the public beach access in Georgetown County, is in jeopardy.
The State of the Beaches Report is available on DHEC’s Web site at: http://www.scdhec.gov/environment/ocrm/pubs/reports.htm.
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For more information:
Dan Burger - (843) 953-0251
E-mail - burgerdj@dhec.sc.gov
or
Adam Myrick - (803) 898-3884
E-mail - myrickar@dhec.sc.gov
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