Federal Projects Help Protect South Carolina’s Coastline

Beaches, one of South Carolina’s major economic drivers, are on the frontline in the battle against Mother Nature. When beaches erode, so do our last line of defenses against the ocean. At the heart of maintaining these vital defenses is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Charleston District.

South Carolina currently has three active Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM) projects—commonly referred to as federal beach projects—located at Folly Beach, the Grand Strand, and Pawleys Island, with a fourth project at Edisto Beach in the design phase. As a federal beach (CSRM) project, it is the Charleston District’s responsibility to reduce the risk to life and infrastructure behind the dunes. In practice, this means renourishing beaches that have eroded to the point where they can no longer provide all of their intended benefits.

Renourishments can be periodic or emergency repair. Periodic renourishments occur at set intervals determined in the original design, with costs shared by the project sponsor. Emergency renourishments are triggered by significant storm erosion and a federal disaster declaration. These are fully funded by the federal government, with no cost to the sponsor.

The importance of the state’s beaches and their health is often a topic of discussion in coastal communities, reinforcing the need for close coordination and planning. A key venue for such discussions is the South Carolina Beach Advocates meeting, held in January of this year on Isle of Palms.

The Beach Advocates meeting brings together local, state and federal officials to discuss threats to the state’s beaches and develop future protection plans.

“A lot of the ways we analyze our projects and whether they’re worth the federal investment is by looking at how we are protecting infrastructure,” said Jeff Livasy, chief of civil works for the Charleston District, at the 2025 Beach Advocates meeting. “Our beaches, while a great place to recreate, protect our infrastructure and have a significant economic impact. If a storm devastates an area, dollars are lost, and tourists don’t come.”

One of South Carolina’s most popular waterfront locations, Folly Beach, suffers significant erosion from both tides and storms.

Folly became a federal beach project in 1993. Since then, six renourishments have placed a total of 8.7 million cubic yards of sand on the beach—enough to cover approximately 4,080 football fields one foot deep.

In March 2024, the Charleston District initiated the latest renourishment of Folly Beach to address damage caused by Hurricane Ian. The project served three purposes – to renourish Folly Beach for coastal storm damage reduction, dredge the Folly River federal navigation channel and place material on Bird Key to help reduce erosion on the critical bird habitat.

By October 2024, the renourishment was complete, with 1.7 million cubic yards of sand placed — the equivalent of 170,000 dump trucks. Contractors worked through the summer and into the fall, persevering through multiple storms, including a hurricane.

“We had two tropical events occur during and after the renourishment, Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Helene,” said Wes Wilson, project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District. “Although the storms caused minimal damage to the beach, we demonstrated the importance of the renourishment. Without that sand in place, we would have had much more significant impacts.”

In Fall 2024, the City of Folly Beach and the Charleston District solidified their partnership for another 50 years by signing a new agreement tied to the completion of the next beach renourishment project. This updated design plan features taller dunes, an extended beach footprint and a new engineering template that accounts for the increasing intensity of future storms.

The state’s largest federal beach project is the 26-mile-long Grand Strand, encompassing Surfside Beach/Garden City, Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach. In December 2024, the Charleston District awarded a contract to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company to place two million cubic yards of material — the equivalent of 200,000 dump trucks — along the Grand Strand. The renourishment is fully funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and will cost $72 million.

Contractors are finalizing their work plan and expect to begin pumping sand in the spring. Once work begins, the 26-mile-long renourishment will take approximately 17 months to complete.

South Carolina’s third federal beach project, Pawleys Island, is undergoing an emergency renourishment following significant erosion caused by Hurricane Ian. The project sponsor is working to obtain real estate easements before moving forward with the renourishment.

A fourth federal beach project on Edisto Beach is currently in the design stages. The project includes the construction of a 15-foot-wide dune extending from the southern end of the state park southward for over 16,000 feet past the southern point of the island. The dune will be fronted by a berm of varying widths. The project also includes lengthening select groins along the beach front.

The project sponsor is currently working to secure all necessary easements to begin construction while the design is finalized. Once constructed, Edisto will become the state’s fourth federal beach project.

South Carolina’s beaches are on the frontlines of the battle against Mother Nature, and renourishment projects are one of our best defenses. By continuing these efforts, we’re not only protecting the coastline but also securing the future of our communities and economy. As storms keep testing our shores, these ongoing projects will ensure that our beaches stay strong and ready for whatever comes next.