COASTAL OBSERVER

Sandbags now line the beach at Prince George where Pawleys Inlet has continued its southern migration as property owners and the town of Pawleys Island continue negotiations to relocate the inlet.

“Emergency conditions have occurred along the oceanfront of the Prince George community,” state regulators found in issuing an emergency order allowing placement of sandbags in front of seven oceanfront houses.

The state Department of Environmental Services issued the order Aug. 30. The work was completed last week.

The order notes that the Prince George Community Association has applied for a permit to relocate Pawleys Inlet. That is at the heart of talks to settle a series of lawsuits filed against the town, two state agencies and the town’s contractors, claiming the shift in the inlet is the result of the beach renourishment project the town completed in 2020. 

Because of the “aggressive nature of the erosion” the sandbags were allowed to be placed to create a revetment, the order states.

The order allows the sandbags, each holding a cubic yard of upland sand, to remain in place until Dec. 28 unless there is a plan for renourishment. If there is, the bags can remain up to a year during permitting and construction.

The plan to move the inlet to the north would use excavated and offsite sand to renourish the beach at Prince George. Talks have focused on who will pay for the work and the location of the new inlet.