Beaches
Council agrees to fund study of Pawleys Island’s ragged jetty
After years of discussion, Pawleys Island Town Council agreed this week to spend the money to determine the condition of the rock and wood structure that holds the north end of the island in place.
The jetty has been the subject of concern for years because it keeps Midway Inlet from migrating south toward the island. It was built by the state highway department in the early 1950s, but in recent years neither the state nor the town has been willing to claim responsibility for the structure.
The council agreed last fall that the jetty should be evaluated as part of a sea level adaptation plan. It stopped short of funding an actual study. That was just before Hurricane Ian made landfall in Georgetown County.
Following the storm, town officials took a major general from the Corps of Engineers headquarters in Washington, D.C., to look at the jetty. The agency has recommended a study and repair of the structure in the past, but because it is located in an area covered by the Coastal Barrier Resources Act no federal funds can be spent on the work.
Mayor Brian Henry said there are exceptions in the law, which he thinks the town needs to explore.
“The jetty was built prior to the law going into effect,” he said. “There’s some wiggle room.”
There is concern that sand migrating from Litchfield Beach, where a renourishment project was done last summer, is causing the inlet to move south. Sand on the island side of the jetty was scoured by the storm surge from Ian.
“How big is the problem? I don’t think we know,” Henry said. The best way to find out is to conduct a study.
The town received a proposal for $13,600 from Coastal Science and Engineering in 2021 to assess the jetty and recommend repairs. The firm designed the renourishment projects at Litchfield and Pawleys Island. It also did a similar survey of the island’s groins in 2014. The jetty was proposed for a separate study, but that wasn’t funded. Instead, the town tried to get the structure excluded from the coastal barrier zone with help from then-U.S. Rep. Tom Rice. The town estimates the total cost of a study and repairs at $250,000, for which it would try to seek grants.
The town could also renew efforts to redraw the boundary of the coastal barrier zone, Henry said. “One of the ways to start is by doing the study.”
Council members agreed.
“Over time, that structure has degraded,” Council Member Rocky Holliday said. “If it fails, that could really, really hurt the north end beach.”
