Beach Renourishment

Understanding the complex concepts regarding beach renourishment ensures awareness of environmental impacts and funding needs.

One of the goals of the Isle of Palms Strategic Plan is to safeguard a healthy beach. Where Isle of Palms will get the money to implement a proactive beach renourishment plan is still undetermined. No formal recommendations have been made yet by the Beach Preservation Ad Hoc Committee.

Finance Facts Regarding Beach Renourishment

On May 3, 2018, Act 173 was passed (also known as the Beachfront Reform Act). This Act is significant because the state of South Carolina went from a policy of “Retreat” regarding their approach to managing beaches, to “Preservation.” In that same year, approximately $48 million in state funds were appropriated for matching funds for beach preservation to be shared by all beach communities but was quickly exhausted due to major storm events in 2018 and 2019. The fact that the state has appropriated dollars in the past for beach renourishment suggests it shares some burden in restoring lost shorelines.

For the fiscal year 2025, Senator Campsen secured $1 million of SC Parks, Recreation and Tourism (PRT) funding for Isle of Palms beach renourishment. Other than the $1 million of PRT funding earmarked for IOP, NO state funds made it into the 2025 budget this year despite Governor McMaster’s proposal of $7 million for all beach communities.

Beach Tourism brings in about 19 billion dollars to the state of South Carolina and accounts for 1 out of every 10 jobs. Even as far back as 2016 the SC Department of Revenue reported 72% of all ATAX (Accommodations Tax) revenues are a result of beach tourism. For this reason, and the commitment to preserve our beaches legislatively, it seems logical the state would share the costly burden of beach renourishment.

The Isle of Palms has a beach renourishment fund. It is the result of 1% of revenues collected through taxes on vacation rentals (accommodations tax or ATAX). Looking ahead at future renourishment needs, this fund is woefully underfunded at $8.7 million without any supplemental assistance.

When Wild Dunes funded their beach renourishment in 2018, they did so through a combination of federal, state and local sources, including a Wild Dunes resident assessment. The federal government (FEMA) contributed in this case due to damage resulting from Hurricane Irma.

Loss of tourism and/or property on Isle of Palms could significantly impact property values and the overall economic viability of the island’s homeowners and businesses. Additionally, property devaluation could create the potential need for property tax increases to maintain services to residents and visitors. Insurance costs are already rising significantly, while insurer options are becoming more limited. Costs could continue to rise or potentially not be offered at all.

How Does Beach Erosion Affect Property Owners on IOP?

Surrounding Communities and Possible Funding Mechanisms

Other beach communities such as those in North Carolina have learned that a regular maintenance schedule for renourishment saves money over time. They use a tiered taxation system across a broad county based on proximity to the beach and property values to pay for their proactive beach renourishment plan, as well as grants, bonds, etc.

Establishing a consistent and dedicated source of revenue for beach renourishment is critical. Some ideas resulting from the Beach Preservation Ad Hoc Beach Erosion Committee are as follows:

Tiered Property Taxation
Ad Valorem Tax (tax upon sale of property)
User Taxes (sales tax, ATAX, parking fees and fines, beach tags, use permits, % of parking fees from the County Park)
State Government Funds
Grants
Federal Beach Management Programs – Army Corps of Engineers. See attached letter here.

Isle of Palms City Council has elected to wait for the Army Corps of Engineers to move over 500,000 cubic yards of spoils (at no cost) dredged from the Intracoastal Waterway to the southern end of the island up to 9th Ave. It will pump the sand at the high tide line and the city will pay to push some of the sand up to create a beach and dune system. Work was scheduled to begin in December 2023, but that date was not met. The project got underway in June of 2024, and it is expected that sand will begin to be pumped onto the beach in early October of 2024. This alternative was embraced due to its low cost. In order to address the emergency condition on the south end of the island until the sand arrives, City Council has approved the placement of approximately 800 additional sandbags between the 100 and 300 blocks and 100 more at Beachwood East.

Homeowners directly impacted by severe erosion are frustrated by the continued loss of beach and dunes for over a year, despite the city’s efforts. Lawsuits have ensued. Lynn Pierotti, Lucky Dog News, published a concise update on litigation concerning Isle of Palms beach erosion in the Island Eye News on May 3, 2024. Please view it here.

At the northern end of the island at Beachwood East in Wild Dunes, the city council has discussed a Shoal Management project that would move sand from two areas: sand accreting (building) from 44th Ave to 53rd Ave and sand from an existing shoal sitting just offshore. Though this is a more cost-effective option than trucking in sand, some are concerned about removing sand from a healthy beach that is accreting naturally. To address this concern, permits are being split to source sand in the accreted area of the beach separately. This will allow the Shoal Management project to proceed independently, and if the permit is approved, the project should begin in early 2025. Discussions continue on this matter.

Where Are We now?

*Content on this page was last updated on July 24, 2024

Our Eroding Beach: How Did We Get Here?

It became apparent in April of 2023 (due in part to a series of unusually high tides sometimes referred to as King Tides), that certain areas of the Isle of Palms beach had entered an aggressive erosional cycle. This cycle was further exacerbated by a Nor’easter on December 17, 2023. Despite ongoing emergency efforts including sand scraping, sand trucking and sand bagging, these factors have resulted in considerable beach erosion at the southwestern end of the Isle of Palms and at Beachwood East in Wild Dunes. Dune destruction in these areas threatens public beach access, homeowners’ properties, and wildlife such as loggerhead turtles and seabirds. Several property owners on Isle of Palms have had their structures deemed by SCDHEC to be in “imminent danger”, defined as a structure or pool within 20 feet of the erosion area. When that threshold is reached, remedial efforts may begin, such as scraping, minor beach renourishment, or the temporary use of sandbags to provide protection.

What Has Council Done?

To stave off further beach erosion, the city authorized $1.2 million for sandbags, trucking in sand, and scraping/moving sand to the most impacted areas of the beach. Senator Campsen helped secure an additional $800,000 plus in matching funds for 2024. For a complete timeline of project updates please consult the Isle of Palms website here.

In February 2024, the Beach Preservation Ad Hoc Committee was formed and comprised of Isle of Palms residents and city council members to address beach erosion with the following three objectives:

Review restoration policies and practices,
Develop recommendations for a more proactive response to beach erosion, and
Finally, make recommendations for consistent and sustainable funding mechanisms.

The city has also consulted with Coastal Science and Engineering (CSE) to formulate a plan for current and future restoration needs and define “an ideal beach profile.” Steven Traynum, President of CSE, estimates an initial project for both ends of the island would cost approximately $22 million and nearly $143 million over a 30- year period, assuming a 3% rate of inflation. These estimates assume a beach renourishment every ten years. Please refer to table 2 below. You can view the entire CSE report here.