Murrells Inlet is undergoing a $6.5 million dredging project.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers‘ Charleston District will complete the project under President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law.
Garden City Beach and Huntington Beach State Park received more than 500,000 cubic yards of sand during the most recent cycle of maintenance in 2017.
Jacob Kyzar, a project manager, said they started dredging in November and would like to finish in early spring, late winter.
In order to maintain the area’s beaches, the Army Corps is using two cutter suction dredges, according to Kyzar.
It’s like a big vacuum cleaner sucking sand out of the channel and from the adjacent deposition base, which is beneficial for beaches.
In addition to replenishing the beaches, Kyzar said the project would help boats navigate the channel, which will be 12 feet by 300 feet across.
In comparison to previous beach re-nourishment projects, Kyzar said the funding has made a difference.
According to him, this project was funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law passed about a year ago, which allowed us to get started faster than we would have under our normal funding budget.
According to Kyzar, maintenance cycles are about every five to seven years depending on Congress.
Kyzar said the work area will be closed to the public, but all points of access along the beach will remain open.
“Charleston District is happy to be able to provide this beneficial use of sand on this project,” he said.
A couple of nearby residents said they’re excited about the project, and that their houses wouldn’t be there without it.