Marsh on life support: What’s being done to revive this hidden gem in North Myrtle Beach

Life in and around White Point Swash is getting back to normal. Soon, the body of water will be set up to thrive again.

Thanks to a project that could cost up to $80,000, the swash will be better positioned to have water flow freely after the effects of recent storms clogged the entrance to the ocean, killing marsh grass and impacting wildlife and nearby homeowners.

The project, which is planned to start in March, will reroute the swash back to its natural path after it moved drastically south last winter, and permanently open the mouth to the ocean.

The project

Last year, storms pushed sand across the mouth of the swash, which sits jut south of North Beach Plantation, limiting water flow, and trapping excess water in the marsh and swash.

Due to the lack of water flow, marsh grasses started to die and aquatic life was impacted, said Dave Fuss, watershed planner for Horry County. Stagnant water also caused pollution in the swash.

“Basically in the winter, the waves pushed all the sand up and completely closed the swash,” said Huston Huffman, mayor for the Town of Briarcliffe Acres. “All the plants in there started to die and, of course, it’s a natural swash.”

When the marsh shifted south, it damaged over two acres of dunes, which acted as a protective barrier for oceanfront homes in Briarcliffe Acres. Without the dunes, water lapped dangerously close to the houses, Huffman said.

Around the marsh itself, trapped water spilled over the edges and onto the street, flooding part of North Myrtle Beach.

Last March, officials from Horry County, the City of North Myrtle Beach and the Town of Briarcliffe Acres created a temporary fix by pushing sand from the mouth of the swash, restoring life to the marsh and taking the threat away from homeowners.

The mouth of the swash empties into Briarcliffe Acres, but the marsh is in the City of North Myrtle Beach. To the north, a doughnut hole brings the county into the game.

All three jurisdictions are working together to fund and execute the project.

By March, officials hope to create a permanent fix by moving the mouth of the swash north, making it more of a straight line between the marsh and the ocean.

Sand dug up from the north side of the beach will be used to fill in the previous path of the swash and restore the two miles of dunes. On the dunes, officials will also plant beach grasses and install sand fencing.

Work is expected to finish by April 30, and will not impact any existing buildings, Fuss said.

“The project purpose is to relocate White Point Swash to its historic location along the beachfront, which is intended to restore and alleviate substantial dune erosion in addition to restoring tidal flushing of the adjacent tidal estuary,” documents from the Army Corps of Engineers read.

This story was originally published November 16, 2018 at 4:44 PM.