The proposed activity is a beach nourishment project along the south end of Garden City Beach, SC. In detail, the proposed work consists of the placement of up to 400,000 cubic yards (cy) of beach compatible sand along 2,500 linear feet of shoreline. The applicant proposes to periodically recycle sand from accreting shoals and intertidal sand bars around Garden City spit at Murrells Inlet within the general area of the deposition basin for the federal navigation channel (Murrells Inlet). The proposed project calls for periodic sand transfer via land-based equipment from demonstrated accretion zones within the inlet to the immediate upcoast area—a maximum of approximately 2,500 linear feet of shoreline extending north from the northern jetty of Murrells Inlet to the southernmost groin along south Garden City. Up to 400,000 cy of sand would be excavated and transferred to the upcoast beach in multiple events according to available sand quantities and need. The applicant anticipates three to four events will be required during the life of the requested permit with each event involving the transfer of ~100,000–150,000 cy for a total not to exceed 400,000 cy. The applicant stated that all work would be performed during winter months unless otherwise specified by resource agencies.
In addition, a portion of the project being proposed is within and in the vicinity of a federal navigation project (Murrells Inlet). The proposed work includes excavating sand from portions of the Murrells Inlet channel and therefore directly impacting the Federal Navigation project. Specifically, these efforts include the excavation of accreting sand from within the Murrells Inlet entrance channel to be utilized, in part, for the nourishment project. Areas to be excavated from within in the federal project will be dredged to a depth of no more than -6’ below MLLW, resulting in “excavation” impacts to waters of the United States.