Thursday, April 24, 2014

Folly Beach renourishment sand disappears in storm – The Post and Courier

Ironic name for a city that lost about $30 million worth of recently placed sand in a recent storm. This follows a previous effort in 2005 and plans for continual renourishment through 2043. That's a lot of money. Click title for link. From the article:
Sand doesn't stay put; that's the bottom line. But the rapid vanishing of the berm rubs salt into the controversy over the gullies and a larger controversy over the viability of the continuing project that calls for renourishment every eight years or as needed until 2043.
Since its start in 1993, costs have escalated over each successive renourishment and now have both federal and local officials leery. The last time the work was done, in 2005, the cost was $12 million - little more than a third of the current cost.
The gullies were left unfilled when the contractor stopped pouring sand at the "public" boundary. City officials and the Army Corps couldn't reach an agreement on whether the owners of 35 beachfront lots should have to sign over easements to the portions of their properties that are now beach, or pay an estimated $2.5 million or more for the work.
The gullies were not filled despite concerns that drainage and erosion exacerbated by them could undermine the renourished sand in front, compromising the ability to form dunes and potentially shortening the lifespan of the renourishment.
How strong is the seawall by the Casino building, again?