By admin 
Watch your step on the beach!
Recent tidal action confronted the newly renourished Grand Strand, where the Army Corps of Engineers placed over 1.5 million cubic yards of sand from North Myrtle Beach to Garden City to build a strong barrier against storm surge, and it left about a foot difference in elevation where high tide meets the sand.
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Residents and visitors online were concerned the finished project had already started losing a significant amount of sand, but the drop-off is an expected result of the tides meeting a newly renourished beach.
The drop-off is called an escarpment, which are natural and common to see after a renourishment, Corps spokesperson Dylan Burnell said by text.
“The same thing that causes them, the tides, will also fix them,” he said. “It takes a few weeks and then wave action will level out the escarpments so they do not drop off.”
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Grand Strand renourishment project cost
The Grand Strand renourishment project cost $72 million and was entirely funded by the Corps because it was determined to be an “emergency renourishment” after storm damage from Hurricanes Ian and Debby. A section near Arcadian Shores, which was not included in the Corps federal project, cost an additional $10 million and was split between Horry County and Myrtle Beach.
Beach nourishment occurs every seven to 10 years on the Grand Strand. It was last renourished in 2018, costing $34.8 million to place 1.4 million cubic yards, roughly the same amount of sand as the 2026 project. The Corps said the cost jumped due to regional demand and equipment costs. The cost of a hopper dredge, the boat required to source and place sand, has seen a dramatic increase.
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