Can you take sand from these SC beaches? Here’s what to know
Since 1956, it’s been illegal to remove sand from Horry County beaches.
Back then, violators could be slapped with a $100 fine or 30 days in jail. Currently, it carries an up to $500 fine and 30 days in jail.
In a hurricane, while some people might want to go to the shore to fill up sandbags, taking sand off of South Carolina beaches can actually contribute to the flooding the sandbags are trying to prevent.
In a hurricane, dunes are the best protection against flooding. But the sand that makes these dunes is in short supply, says Dr. Paul Gayes, Executive Director of CCU’s Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies. While we think of the beach “as this enormous volume of sand, it’s not,” Gayes points out. “It’s a narrow ribbon that runs right along the coast.”
That thin strip of sand naturally becomes thinner throughout time, leaving less protection for buildings on the beach. Storms wash away sand into the ocean and longshore currents move it down the coast.
The amount of erosion varies drastically throughout the state. Downtown Myrtle Beach loses half a foot of sand each year, while other parts of the South Carolina coast lose up to 10 feet annually, according to Gayes.
To keep the beaches wide for visitors and the dunes healthy, crews move sand from the ocean floor to the beach, a process called renourishment. $100 million in federal money have gone into renourishment in the Myrtle Beach area since 2008.
Since there already is a shortage of sand on Horry County beaches, residents removing it illegally accelerates the erosion process. By bagging sand to keep the water out of your home, Gayes said, “you’re moving one problem to another location.”
This story was originally published December 20, 2022 at 8:00 AM.
