Tybee Island, Georgia, has lost more than half of the 1.3 million cubic yards of sand placed on its beach during the last renourishment project in the winter of 2019-2020. Development, sea walls, jetties, and a shipping channel near the Savannah River have all disrupted the natural flow of sand that would normally replenish barrier islands like Tybee. The result is dramatic erosion, including dune cliffs several feet high, damage to sea turtle nests, and lost business for beachfront rentals and hotels.
The Army Corps of Engineers has renourished Tybee's beach roughly every seven years since the 1970s, with local, county, and state governments covering 40 percent of the cost. This time, a $20 million project was ready to go, but Congress underfunded the federal beach renourishment program and Tybee was initially left off the list. After lobbying from city officials, a letter-writing campaign from residents, and visits from members of Georgia's congressional delegation, the Army Corps found leftover funds from beach projects in New Jersey that came in under budget and redirected them to Tybee. Work is set to begin this winter.
This time, the Corps plans to change its approach: instead of dumping dredged sand from the shipping channel offshore, it will deposit it in the shallows near Tybee's beach, mimicking the natural movement of sand and reducing wave damage. City officials hope this extends the time between renourishment projects from seven years to as many as ten, offering some relief from a cycle that is only intensifying as sea levels rise.
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