2008 Beach Restoration Project
PROJECT SUMMARY
The northeastern end of the Isle of Palms endured a severe erosion crisis as a shoal attached to that section of the island. If the acute episode continued unabated, structures could have been threatened. In order to protect the public safety and to ensure that the beaches remained healthy, the City undertook a beach restoration project in the spring and summer of 2008. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (SCDHEC OCRM) issued the City a permit that stipulated "up to 885,000 cubic yards of sand will be dredged from four offshore borrow sites and pumped via hydraulic pipeline to renourish 13,785 linear feet of beach." This project restored the dry sand beach, controled the erosion and included the removal of all sandbags placed in the erosion area.
The City of Isle of Palms Local Comprehensive Beach Management Plan, including Appendices, was approved by SCDHEC OCRM on April 7, 2008.
POST-PROJECT MONITORING
As part of the permit requirements, the City will execute post-project monitoring for three years after completion of construction. Included in the post-project monitoring are surveys of the beach and the borrow areas. Another important part of the post-project monitoring will be compaction testing, which determines whether the sand needs to be tilled before the start of turtle nesting season.
PROJECT TIMELINE AND UPDATES
February 3, 2010: City Council held a Special Meeting to hear the results of the "2008 Isle of Palms Beach Restoration Project Year 1 Monitoring Report" (15.2MB, pdf). Coastal Science & Engineering summarized the report in a PowerPoint Presentation (2.11MB, pdf).
City Council Special Meeting, February 3, 2010 from City of Isle of Palms on Vimeo.
May 25, 2009: Sand fencing has been installed and dune vegetation has been planted in the project area as additional protection of the beach.
May 22, 2009: New aerial photos of the project area have been posted in the photo gallery.
July 2, 2008: Construction is officially complete and all equipment has been cleared from the beach. Final surveys and post-project monitoring will continued as needed.
June 26, 2008: The dredging and pumping are complete well ahead of schedule. View a map of the completed fill in Reach A. The Dredge, "R.S. Weeks," has left the waters surrounding the Isle of Palms. Work will continue as pipes and equipment are removed from the beach, final surveys are completed and the sand is tilled.
June 24, 2008: View a progress map for Reach A.
June 22, 2008: View a progress map for Reach A.
June 20, 2008: View a progress map for Reach A.
June 17, 2008: View a progress map for Reach A.
June 16, 2008: The fill has been completed in Reach C.
June 15, 2008: View a progress map for Reach C.
June 14, 2008: The fill has been completed in Reach B.
June 13, 2008: View a progress map for Reach B. To date, no fill has been placed in Reach A or Reach C.
June 12, 2008: During construction, a historic, 128-pound cannon ball was excavated onto the beach. The cannon ball was evaluted by Charleston County and state explosive teams as well as by a historian with the National Park Service. The cannon ball was safely removed from the project area.
June 9, 2008: View progress maps for Reach A, Reach B and Reach C.
June 2, 2008: Approximately 8,600 sand bags have been removed to date. Dredging and pumping continue as scheduled.
May 27, 2008: Over the Memorial Day weekend, the dredge took up position and began pumping sand onto the beach. Visitors can see the "slurry," a mixture of water and sand, coming out of the pipe. Soon, the slurry will dry into a sandy beach. The operation will officially run 24 hours per day, 7 days per week until the project is complete. Sand bag removal continues as scheduled. The City appreciates your patience during construction.
May 22, 2008: The Dredge, the "R.S. Weeks," has arrived in Charleston and should be visible in near the project borrow sites shortly. The dredging and pumping of sand is anticipated to begin over the Memorial Day weekend. Sandbag removal continues at a good pace. Visitors to the beach will notice that the beach is active with construction equipment as pipe is laid in preparation for the pumping of sand.
May 19, 2008: Sandbag removal began this morning and will continue as the project progresses. Please stay clear of the construction equipment.
May 15, 2008: The City received final approval from the United States Army Corps of Engineers regarding a monitoring plan for the project. Weeks Marine has mobilized equipment and is placing pipeline on the beach and submerging pipeline in the ocean. The dredger is en route to the project site. Monitoring for sea turtles has begun. The City requests your cooperation for the temporary (until July 31, 2008) noise, lights and construction equipment. Please avoid the construction area, pipeline and heavy equipment.
May 7, 2008: The United States Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit for the beach restoration project, and the City signed the permit.
May 5, 2008: The City hosted two meetings related to project construction. The first included representatives from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Island Turtle Team to discuss the protocols and protections for endangered species during the project. The second focused on logistical issues of project construction.
May 2, 2008: At a Special Meeting, City Council passed a motion to accept the lowest bid placed by Weeks Marine and to amend the volume of sand to be dredged from 780,000 cubic yards to 845,000 cubic yards for a contract totaling $8,386,850, contingent upon the City's receipt and approval of the permit from the United States Corps of Engineers.
April 24, 2008: The City hosted a public bid opening for the Beach Restoration Project and recieved bids from Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, Weeks Marine, and Norfolk Dredging Company. At this stage, the bids undergo a formal review.
April 16, 2008: The City and Coastal Science and Engineering hosted a mandatory pre-bid meeting where contractors interested in bidding on the project received essential information, asked questions and made a project site visit.
April 15, 2008: The City received signed agreements from parties involved in the project. In addition, funds recieved from involved parties were deposited in the IOP Beach Restoration Escrow to be used for the project.
March 18, 2008: The City of Isle of Palms was issued Permit 2007-02631-21G-P for beach renourishment by SCDHEC OCRM.
February 19, 2008: Mayor Mike Sottile and City Administrator Linda Tucker attended the Charleston County Council meeting in support of the City's application for financial assistance. Charleston County Council approved the request and contributed $900,000 towards the project.
January 17, 2008: The City of Isle of Palms made a formal request to Charleston County for fiscal assistance with the erosion crisis and beach restoration project.
January 11, 2008: At the request of the permitting agencies, the City of Isle of Palms filed an amended permit application with SCDHEC OCRM and USACE that modified the proposed construction schedule. The modified permit application stipulates that all construction must be complete by July 31, 2008. The impetus for the amended construction schedule was to ensure removal of sandbags from the beach before any potential fall/winter storm activity to provide maximum protection to the citizens, the environment and the structures.
January 11, 2008: The City of Isle of Palms entered into an agreement with Coastal Science & Engineering to plan, permit, engineer and administer services related to the project.
January 10, 2008: City Council passed a motion to contribute $1,700,000 to the project in addition to funds previously committed. Per the motion, the $1,700,000 will be generated with a revenue bond.
November 20, 2007: The City of Isle of Palms applied with SCDHEC OCRM and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to receive a permit for beach renourishment.
November 13, 2007: At a Special Meeting, City Council received a presentation of the Long-Term Beach Management Plan and passed a motion to initiate the permit application process for a beach renourishment project using $200,000 allocated in the FY08 budget for beach erosion.
ANSWERS TO PROJECT QUESTIONS
Are there photos of the project?
Click here to view a photo gallery.
When did the project start?
The project began over Memorial Day weekend 2008.
When did the project end?
Project construction was completed in early July 2008.
Where did the project start and end?
The restored beach runs from 53rd Avenue to Dewees Inlet. The project map shows that sand was placed in three major areas called Reach A, Reach B and Reach C. Where the project starts and ends exactly, including where construction occurred on any specific day, depended on several variables including weather conditions and material conditions.
What about the sea turtles that nest on the Isle of Palms?
The City continues to work closely with all appropriate local, state and federal agencies to ensure maximum protection for sea turtles. The permits issued by the agencies allowing construction to occur include clear guidelines to protect sea turtles. Every night and every morning, turtle monitors walked the construction area looking for turtles and their tracks, and if one was found, the appropriate steps were taken to protect the turtle and its nest.
Did the project run all day and night?
Yes. The project did run 24 hours per day and 7 days per week. The goal was to complete the project as soon as possible, so unless inclement weather forced a delay, construction continued all the time. The project was completed several weeks ahead of schedule thereby minimizing disruption to beach goers.
What was construction like?
The City contracted with Weeks Marine to perform the construction. Beach restoration is a large project that involves an off-shore dredger, large pipeline and heavy equipment and trucks. Visitors and residents in close proximity to the project encountered this large equipment and heard the accompanying noise. At night, lights illuminated the beach so construction could continue. These disruptions were temporary as the project moved down the beach.
Was the beach be closed?
The restored beach is approximately 9,200 feet long, but only a section of the beach was under active construction on any given day. The section under construction was clearly marked and closed to visitors. The rest of the beach was open as usual. Also, the construction was progressive, meaning it moved along the beach during construction.
Did the project affect boaters?
Boaters needed to be aware that pipeline, marked with buoys, was be submerged in the waters around the project.
What about the sandbags?
As part of construction, all the sandbags were removed from the beach.
What was the beach be like when the project was completed?
The project restored a wide, dry sand beach.