Waterfront Watch: Public weighs in on protecting the beach

By Lorena Anderson

The Sun News

October 24, 2008

The beach. Everyone who comes here wants to walk, sit, lie, eat and drink on it, collect shells from it or build a house next to it.

So how should those concerned for the coastline's well-being handle the ever-changing beach environment - including erosion, renourishment, development, public access, private ownership and environmental concerns?

"Man and nature are always in a state of imbalance," Pawleys Island Mayor Bill Otis said.

• Fast facts
  The Beachfront Management Act is designed "to protect the quality of the coastal environment and to promote economic and social improvement of the coastal zone."
  The state Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management implements coastal management plans, issues permits, provides regulatory oversight and encourages low-impact and alternative development to help preserve water and environmental health, according to its Web site.
  

Otis and others say the state should work in concert with local jurisdictions because locals who deal with the beachfront every day know their areas' specific needs.

But environmentalists say stricter regulations are needed to make sure people do not prey on the beaches and the estuaries around them.

"Sometimes we take advantage of the jewel that we have," said Staci Williams, director of Coast Matters, a project of the nonprofit S.C. Conservation Voters group.

A group of Clemson University researchers is preparing a report for the state Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management as it considers the 20-year-old S.C. Beachfront Management Act.

This week Otis, two representatives from Myrtle Beach and one from North Myrtle Beach talked about the adjust-

ments they'd like to see at a meeting held to gather input from beachfront stakeholders.

"Overall, I think the act is a good one," said Steve Moore, Myrtle Beach's superintendent of streets and drainage. "It serves a great public service. But a general permitting for local jurisdictions would streamline things."

Beach erosion is one example of why a one-size-fits-all approach is not a good idea, Otis and Moore agreed.

Myrtle Beach has stable beaches that need fewer erosion-control measures, and it qualifies for public renourishment funds because it meets state requirements for public access, unlike the privately owned portions of Pawleys Island.

The north end of Pawleys Island is different than the south end, about 3 miles away - sand builds up on the north side and erodes on the south side. Measures that work on the north end won't on the south, Otis said. Groins perpendicular to the beach slow erosion on about two-thirds of the island. But groins are a "hot button," Otis said, because they can cause "sand starvation" in areas south of them, though that hasn't been a problem on Pawleys Island.

Though none of the area's environmental groups attended this week's meeting, Williams and Jared Hendrix, a board member of the local chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, said there are many issues where the state needs to take a stronger hand. Climate change and the rising sea levels have to be addressed, and renourishment isn't always the answer.

"Cherry Grove is a perfect example," Hendrix said. "They put large condo towers on land that is vulnerable to the sea, and now the property owners are using large sandbags to protect buildings that should never have been allowed there."

Williams and Hendrix agree that the area's tidal estuaries are also a major concern, as are stormwater management options, recreational use of the beach and the marine environment.

They also agree balance is critical so the beaches - the main draw to the area - can be protected and preserved.

The state's management act - designed to protect and preserve, Hendrix said - needs a review and updating.

"But mostly it just needs to be enforced," he said.