FOLLY BEACH, SC -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Charleston District recently awarded a contract to renourish Folly Beach due to damages caused by Hurricane Ian.
The beneficial use project serves three purposes – to renourish Folly Beach for coastal storm damage reduction, dredge the Folly River federal navigation channel, and place material on Bird Key to help reduce erosion on the critical bird habitat.
In late December 2023, the Charleston District awarded a contract to Gator Dredging to place sand on Folly Beach. The contractor will place 1.3 million cubic yards of sand on the beach, equivalent to 130,000 dump trucks. The renourishment is funded entirely by the Corps of Engineers and will cost $18 million.
Construction will likely begin between late winter and early spring of 2024. The renourishment plans to finish before the 2024 peak hurricane season.
Hurricane Ian struck Folly Beach and the South Carolina coast on September 30, 2022, causing severe erosion to the beach. The timing of the renourishment couldn’t be better with the recent nor’easter and the current condition of the project.
The project was performing as designed during Hurricane Ian, reducing the risk to life and infrastructure behind the dunes.
To get updates on the renourishment, follow @CharlestonCorps on Facebook, Instagram and X (Formerly Twitter).
CORRECTION - A previous version of this release stated the Charleston District awarded a contract for the renourishment in late December 2024. The contract was awarded in late December 2023.
Release no. 24-001