IslandVibesIOP.com 5 NEWS State funding buys more time for long-term beach erosion solutions By L. C. Leach III Efforts to battle beach erosion on Isle of Palms are expected to get two major boosts – one immediate and one by late spring. On the table is a $1.52 million grant from the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism (SCPRT). The grant money will go toward the city’s major beach renourishment project this summer to place sand in three critical areas: Mariner’s Walk to Ocean Point at the far eastern end; Grand Pavilion to Beach Club in front of Sweetgrass Inn; and Breach Inlet to 14th Avenue on the far western side, where the sand loss rate is highest. The grant will offset the cost of the project, currently set at $32 million, and city leaders are anticipating more. “We have requested a total of $5.3 million in state grants,” said IOP City Public Information Officer Joshua Uys. “When we select a bidder, we will be able to confirm the total cost.” Whether the city receives all requested funding depends on what becomes available in the next fiscal year. “While SCPRT does not currently have those funds available, applying for the full funding need will allow the current grant to be amended and the award amount increased if SCPRT receives additional funding in the FY 26-27 Appropriations Act,” said Justin E. Hancock, director of Recreation, Grants and Policy with SCPRT. So far, this is SCPRT’s third grant to IOP for beach renourishment, including one from 2017 and another in 2023. Sand for the 2026 project will be dredged from an offshore borrow site about 2 miles southeast of the Island Pier. Once begun, the new renourishment enterprise is expected to place up to 2.2 million cubic yards of sand – enough to fill nearly 673 Olympic-sized swimming pools – along 19,200 linear feet of beach and involves construction of a dune and berm. Work is expected to last from June to September, during which time IOP City could be awarded the rest of the requested grant. “Through these grants, the state matches dollar-for-dollar with local governments for renourishment projects on publicly accessible beaches,” Hancock said, pointing out that healthy beaches are one of the most vital parts of the South Carolina economy. “The state’s five coastal counties account for roughly two-thirds of visitor spending in the state, and the state’s beaches are a primary driver for visitation for target markets in the U.S., as well as abroad.” To this end, IOP City Council has taken a further step to prevent beach erosion by contracting with Foth|Olsen, a full-service science and engineering firm out of Jacksonville, Florida, to provide an alternative beach analysis, with the goal of extending the lifespan of the beach renourishment project. The firm will work alongside the city’s principal beach consultant and project manager, Coastal Science & Engineering of Columbia, South Carolina. “Foth|Olsen was only engaged in February 2026,” Uys said. “They have 90 days from that engagement to present their alternatives analysis to the city.” A presentation of findings and recommendations are expected to be ready by the May 26 council meeting. In the meantime, on recommendations from the Beach Preservation Ad Hoc Committee, council members are considering several new island beach policies, including: • Becoming a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) managed beach. • Accelerating and increasing the frequency of large-scale dredging beach nourishment projects from every 10 years to every eight years. • Coordinating construction of large-scale nourishment projects on both unstabilized inlet zones to occur at the same time. • Hiring one full-time employee tasked with overseeing resilience efforts, including beach management. This item is included in the draft FY26 budget, with the next step entailing developing a job description before beginning the hiring process. • Establishing property owners’ responsibilities for maintaining the dune system within private property, based on a model currently in use by Folly Beach. In a Sea Level Rise Adaptation proposal made to IOP City in 2023 by both CSE and Weston & Sampson environmental engineers of Charleston, it was noted in part: “If the average increase in sea level rise rates from 1930 to 2020 holds steady, 2 to 3 feet of sea level rise are possible by 2100.” But CSE President Steven Traynum sees hopeful signs, such as the large shoal/sandbar forming in front of Wild Dunes that is already adding sand to the beach. “We've seen mixed outcomes with the available management approaches,” Traynum said in late 2025. “But the shoal has fully attached to the beach and is now allowing sand to spread to areas that have been highly erosional, including Beachwood East and the area near the Seascape and Ocean Club condos.” But the ultimate question of course is: Will these efforts work or will they ultimately be overruled by natural forces? A question in which only Father Time knows the answer to. Beachwood East beach before shoal began attaching. Beachwood East beach after shoal began attaching.
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