Folly Beach sand renourishment will help protect against future storms

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCBD) – A renourishment project is underway on Folly Beach to protect island infrastructure from potential future storms.

Major Patrick Ripton with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Charleston District said crews have been hard at work pumping in the sand and relocating it to restore the beachfront and dunes. And that sand is local – coming from the Folly River and distributed on the island.

“This is one of the few places left that we can pull natural sand,” said Major Ripton. “It’s a fantastic opportunity, we don’t have the bring the sand in from far away.”

He explained that the work is adding depth to the beach and dunes, giving the area infrastructure security and protection of life if – or when – a hurricane or storm threatens the coast.

“Forecasts for this year suggest the storm season might be a little bit more amped up than it’s been in the last few years. But as always, the beaches are vulnerable and we need to continue to renourish them to make sure that they provide that support year after year,” he said.

Folly Beach suffered severe erosion when Hurricane Ian struck the area in late September 2022 and worsened during Tropical Storm Idalia last summer.

“The beach is improved but let’s remember that this is done to protect infrastructure. We’re building dunes and building beach to protect the infrastructure of the beach from storms and possible, I hate to say this, but hurricanes. That’s what you build dunes for, that’s what you build a beach for. The side effect is you get a good beach for tourists to come hang out at,” said Folly Beach Mayor Tim Goodwin.

The Army Corps of Engineers works with local beaches and towns to provide federal assistance in their efforts to make sure beaches are renourished and robust. A contract for the project was awarded in January.

Mayor Goodwin said the renourishment project is everlasting.

“This has been in process since 1990, I think is when they first started, so it’s a continuous process. Just when you think you’ve finished one renourishment — you don’t wake up tomorrow and say alright I’ve got a break for six years or four years, no, you wake up the next morning and start for the next renourishment. So, it’s never-ending,” he said.

While beach leaders know the project is an inconvenience for all visitors, they said the work is short-term. “Once it’s done, we’ll have a beach that provides a lot more protection to infrastructure and life here on the island,” said Mayor Goodwin.

He said there is plenty of free access for the public to use while crews have a beautiful beach to work on. “It’s great for everybody all the way around,” he said.

Renourishment work will not happen over Memorial Day weekend. People can visit the town’s website to find progress and see where work is being performed so, generally, they’ll know where to go to enjoy sand and sun without construction.

The project aims to be completed by the end of August.