North Myrtle Beach renourishment doesn't faze beachgoers

By: Rusty Ray | SCNow
Published: August 14, 2008

Mike Westerheide and his family drove all the way from Columbus, Ohio to vacation this week in North Myrtle Beach.

When they came over the dunes the first day, they were surprised to see all sorts of pipes, bulldozers, construction trailers, and portable restrooms between them and the surf.

"We weren't sure what all the pipes were for," he said. "If this is what they've got to do to replenish the beach, then they've got to do what they've got to do."

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, using Great Lakes Dredge and Dock, will pump more than 3 million cubic yards of ocean floor sand onto the beach from the inlet north of Cherry Grove south to a point across from Barefoot Landing. The entire process will take six weeks, if crews are able to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Bernie Warthan, from Chester, Virginia, has vacationed on the north end for 35 years. He said he felt like North Myrtle Beach, and Cherry Grove, were quieter and less-crowded than beaches further south--but maybe not this year.

"I know it'll look nice next year, so it has to be done," he said Thursday morning from the comfort of his beach chair. "It's just a little annoying, but they have to do it when they have to do it. We'll put up with it," he said.

According to the Corps Of Engineering, the 3 million cubic yards is enough sand to cover an area as long and wide as a football field, and as tall as the Empire State Building.

Westerheide says nothing can stop he and his family from enjoying their vacation this year.

"I've heard a few people that set up around here say it's noise pollution," he said. "It's better than not being at the beach."