Turtle-blocking seawalls coming down

COLUMBIA, SC A series of experimental seawalls that were keeping sea turtles from nesting on parts of the South Carolina coast must come down before the end of the month.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control ordered the walls’ removal after learning about wildlife concerns from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, according to a letter Friday from DHEC to an engineering professor involved in the experimental work.

DHEC’s letter says the walls must be taken down by July 28. A total of four walls, known as wave dissipation devices, are located at Isle of Palms near Charleston and Harbor Island in Beaufort County.

“We will continue to gather additional information to further assess these concerns,’’ DHEC’s letter said.

DHEC took action after two environmental groups threatened to sue the agency because of the walls’ impact on sea turtles during nesting season. The S.C. Environmental Law Project praised DHEC’s decision Friday.

“These walls have resulted in numerous ‘false crawls,’ where the turtles crawl onto the beach but then turn around before laying their eggs once they encounter the walls,’’ the law center said. The non-profit legal group is representing the Sierra Club and the S.C. Wildlife Federation.

The wave dissipation devices are plastic structures that were pitched as a way to keep the ocean from hitting buildings on eroding beaches without making erosion worse. Proponents also said the walls would not hurt nesting sea turtles because the structures, unlike concrete and rock seawalls, can be taken down during nesting season. In this case, they were not taken down during the nesting season.

Loggerhead sea turtles, which are federally protected, are the main types of turtles that nest on South Carolina beaches.

This story was originally published July 8, 2016 at 5:26 PM with the headline "Turtle-blocking seawalls coming down."