beach erosion

When people think about beach protection, they often think about seawalls or engineering projects. But one of our best natural defenses is the sand dune.

Beachfront homeowners whose property was part of a landmark case ask lawmakers for help as the ocean threatens to swallow their home. But they face a decades old act designed to protect public beaches.

Beachfront homeowners on Wild Dunes say this weekend's erosion is the worst they've seen in decades.

The state Senate may soon take up a bill that would provide money on a regular basis to help pump sand onto eroding South Carolina beaches. The bill sponsored by Sen. Chip Campsen would take 25% of all entertainment admission taxes and put them into the beach renourishment fund. The Post and Courier newspaper reported that would be about $9 million each year. Local governments would have to match any money given away from the fund. The bill passed a subcommittee and will likely head to the Senate floor soon. Currently, projects are funded by the state individually as they come in.

A politically appointed board will hear an appeal from property owners who want to bury sandbags along a South Carolina beach to fight erosion. Opponents fear sandbag walls are likely to make the beach wash away faster. A three-member committee of the Department of Health and Environmental Control board voted unanimously last week to hold a hearing before the full board early next year. The board will consider overturning a staff decision denying permission to keep sandbags in place on Debordieu Island, south of Myrtle Beach. Coastal regulators say the bags were put in illegally by seven landowners after a 2020 hurricane.