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Island's heel needs quick fix on erosion, say town officials

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Beach erosion at the heel of Hilton Head Island is continuing at a rapid rate, and the town may soon have to take major steps to address the problem, according to a report to be released this week.

The section of beachfront next to Port Royal Plantation is relatively small -- 2,000 feet long -- but the report shows the ocean has been eating away significantly at the shoreline in areas, said Chris Creed, senior coastal engineer for Olsen Associates, the town's beach

consultant.

Erosion at the heel of shoe-shaped Hilton Head has been a growing concern for residents and visitors in Port Royal Plantation and nearby resorts, who sometimes get stuck on the far side of the heel by the incoming tide.

The erosion does not threaten houses, which are separated from the beach by hundreds of feet of vegetation in some areas, but the water has eaten away noticeable chunks of the beachfront in spots, creating a shelf-like effect.

"The erosion's at a rate that something needs to be done," Creed said.

The report will provide the town with a list of options on how to address the problem, including conducting a new renourishment project focused specifically on the heel area. The Town Council will review the report in September or October and decide what action to take, said Scott Liggett, town director of public projects.

"There are lots of options," Creed said. Renourishment "has been a big management tool the town has historically used, and obviously, that will be considered again."

The town will have to undergo a long approval process through a litany of state and federal agencies before it can pump sand from the ocean floor to rebuild that section of beach.

The heel section was left out of the most recent overall beach renourishment project the town completed last year. That was due to several factors, including concerns about disrupting the habitat of a protected piping plover. Historically that beach also had been healthier than other areas of the island.

The erosion issue first drew attention about two years ago. The area had been doing well before then and had actually been accumulating sand at a much faster rate than other areas on the island for about 20 years. But Joiner Bank, a small sediment island off the coast of Port Royal Plantation, began to wash away a few years ago, exposing the beach at the plantation to more erosion and wave energy. The report confirms that this is the cause of the erosion at the heel, Creed said.

Town beach surveys show that in May 1999 the low watermark at the heel was about 1,350 feet away from the beach baseline -- the state's line that blocks beachfront development. But it was just less than 900 feet away from the baseline in April 2006.

The town has intermittently removed dead vegetation and other debris to open up more space for beachgoers to walk through as the erosion has continued, said Dan Davis, general manager of Port Royal Plantation. Residents have continued to monitor the issue closely and will monitor the town's response, he said.

"We're anxious to see what the report says."

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