#14

Folly Beach Pier at sunrise.  The beach is littered with broken shells.  

Erosion is a large problem along some of our most favorite beaches.  Here at Folly, it has been partially attributed to large jetties built here in 1898. While the jetties served their purpose by preventing sand from building up in Charleston Harbor, allowing the shipping industry to grow in the area, they caused rapid erosion.  By the 1930s, the shoreline was quickly disappearing.  In the 1940s, some work was done to try and prevent the further devastation, but in 1989, hurricane Hugo destroyed those efforts.  Erosion has been estimated at four to six feet each year! 

In January 2014, the US Army Corps of Engineers began a controversial six-month long project of pumping sand dredged from three miles off shore back on to Folly Beach.  The Folly Beach Renourishment Project was an attempt to slow the erosion of the beach by bringing an estimated 1.5 million cubic yards of sand back on to the beach.