As August starts and summer wanes, the Town of Hilton Head Island’s beach renourishment project begins.
If this is your first time to experience beach renourishment, here’s a quick overview: This process replaces sand lost over time due to natural erosion and seasonal storm activity. It’s a LOT of sand – 2.2 million cubic yards, in fact – pulled from our nearby underwater “borrow areas” that, fortunately for us, are replenished naturally in the intervening years between projects.
Every eight to 10 years, this process restores the “storm surge barrier” function of the dunes that serve as protection for our homes, businesses, and maritime forest. It also promotes a healthy environment by supporting the expansion of existing beach plants that anchor those dunes, and protects and restores animal habitats for some of our favorite locals, such as loggerhead sea turtles and endangered shorebirds.
Regardless of your lens – resident, business owner, visitor, whomever you are – we can all agree that our beaches should be preserved, protected, and cherished. Our island depends on their ongoing vitality. The town’s role is to carry out the community’s collective dedication to this environmental core value through this investment in restoration and maintenance. Fortunately, due to the foresight of town leaders before us, and thanks to our millions of visitors, these projects are funded through our beach preservation fund and capital improvement program.
Marinex Construction Inc. has been mobilizing since the beginning of July, placing their offshore barges and staging miles of steel pipes to pump that sand back to our beaches. It’s important to remember that offshore wave conditions (even on sunny days), storms, and occasional equipment adjustments can all have an impact on the renourishment schedule. At any given time, temporary restrictions to accessing certain areas in our beach parks are imposed to help keep everyone safe, so we’re asking everyone for their patience and understanding as we get to work on the various phases.
Phase 1: We’re starting in the Fish Haul/Port Royal (the Heel)/Pine Island area first. Fish Haul Beach is scheduled from August 6 through mid-month. To ensure the safety of the public and construction workers, the park must close for approximately five days beginning August 6, depending on weather. The renourishment at this location is limited to a small area with a single point of access, so if the park were to remain open, the public and construction activities would be sharing the space. Safety for everyone must be our highest priority. Pine Island work (sand only, not the new rock structures) should occur mid-August through mid-September, and Port Royal (the Heel) should be from mid-September through mid-November.
Per a requirement of the beach renourishment permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the town amended its municipal code to restrict animal/dog activity in an area the size of about three football fields, which is adjacent to Fish Haul Beach Park. This requirement protects endangered shorebird species who migrate and nest there. Signage is posted around the restricted area and no other beach areas will be affected. To be clear, dogs are still allowed per the town’s seasonal rules; it’s just a small section of the creek area adjacent to the beach park that’s now restricted.
Phase 2: We’re scheduled to start with the Central Island Beach area, which includes Palmetto Dunes, around mid-November and will finish around Valentine’s Day in 2026. From there, they plan to move to the South Beach area, which includes part of Sea Pines and Coligny Beach. This part of the project is scheduled to take place from mid-February through the first couple of weeks of May 2026.
Phase 3: This is the final phase, and this work will add the breakwater rock structures at Pine Island. That exact timeline is still to be determined.
Throughout this process, please remember that renourishment is a moving work zone. On average, only 300 feet of beach will be impacted per day – just 2% of the island’s total beach area. Temporary beach access ramps and clear signage will help direct beachgoers safely around active work areas to open areas of the beach. We are committed to minimizing the amount of beach restricted at any given time, limiting noise disruptions and night-time lighting, and the bulk of the work will be done outside of the busiest times of the year. We’re also working with Sea Turtle Patrol to monitor turtle nests and relocate them as needed.
To stay updated on the project’s progress – including location schedules, an interactive project progress map, photos, FAQs, and more –visit hiltonheadislandsc.gov/beachrenourish2025. You can also sign up for email alerts and follow us on Facebook (TownofHHI) to stay up to date on the project.
