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ScribeBy: Deneshia Graham of The Post and
Courier Staff
Originally Published on: 7/3/03
A dredging project that added sand to erosion-ravaged Folly Beach County Park is finished, just in time for the Fourth of July holiday.
Hundreds of beachgoers who otherwise might have gone to beaches at the Isle of Palms or Kiawah Island now can venture back to Folly's shores, where they should find much more elbow room, Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission officials said.
The project, overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, pumped 50,000 cubic yards of sand from a Folly River channel onto the beach. That's enough to fill four football fields eight feet high.
The park's portion of the project ended last week. Sand is still being applied to Skimmer Flats, a nearby pelican nesting site.
While the beach never closed, part of its area was off limits because of the dredging work.
"Those restrictions are lifted, and the park is in great shape," said Jeff Schryver, the commission's director of planning and development. "We are very pleased."
The sand-starved park has seen much erosion from high tides and heavy rains, and half of its parking lot is gone.
Before the dredging, extremely high tides would limit the bather area to some 30 feet, pushing beachgoers toward the dunes and away from the shores, Schryver said.
Now, with the added sand, they can enjoy 150 feet of beach at high tide, stretching some 1,300 feet along the beach, he said.
Those familiar with Folly agree that the sand is welcome.
"I think the sand is absolutely fantastic," said Steve Phillips of Summerton. Once a resident of Walterboro, Phillips used to walk the beach weekly. "I've been here when the tide has pushed me into the (boardwalk) steps," he said.
"There's more room," added Lifeguard Ivan Lima. "People will actually be able to walk."
"I think it went really well," said Lincoln Blake, project manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Cottrell Contracting Corp. of Chesapeake, Va., was hired to do the dredging.
Placing the sand onto Folly Beach and Skimmer Flats has mutual benefit, Blake said, since the corps must find the least expensive disposal site for the sand. Dredging the river channel is done every 12-18 months to ensure it's at least nine feet deep, Blake said.
There's no additional cost for placing the sand in this project, Blake said. The dredging cost about $508,000, is paid by the federal government.
The sand also is needed on Folly for the $650,000 groin project this fall. The county plans to build a concrete and steel structure to hold sand in place.
About 1,000 people use Folly Beach County Park on the weekdays and 2,000 on weekends, according to the commission.
Isle of Palms County Park, which has almost twice the parking of Folly, has about 1,500 visitors on weekdays and 2,500 on weekends.
Beachwalker County Park on Kiawah Island has 500 on weekdays and about 800 on weekends.
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