SURFSIDE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – According to the Town of Surfside Beach, beach renourishment has been halted due to a mechanical issue.
Mayor Bob Childs says a pressure hose was damaged on one of the pump stations, and crews worked all day Friday to take the machine apart.
Childs says they have ordered a new one and that crews should be back up and running on Sunday.
According to the Army Corps of Engineers, construction along the Grand Strand began mid-July in Surfside Beach near the pier. Crews are scheduled to work north towards Myrtle Beach State Park to complete the first phase of the project.
Childs says he doesn’t think this will change that timeline.
“This is just a small burp. They lost a pressure hose I understand about 8:00 last night and it will be up and running Sunday morning early. They had to send for a hose at their supply place, wherever they get that. So, it won’t affect the timeline at all,” said Childs.
On Friday, officials posted on the town Facebook page that the work stopped this week when the pump out station encountered the issue.
The post online also addressed a few common questions town leaders have been fielding about the project. “The operation will be working 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week. The machinery noise cannot be controlled by the town or silenced, due to OSHA regulations,” the post states.
“I heard that before we got started. ‘What we going to do about the beeping of the machines?’ That’s just a safety factor. We couldn’t possibly ask them to do that and if somebody got hurt, the town would certainly be liable, but they wouldn’t turn them off to start with. Those things are pretty well built into that equipment so they can’t be turned off,” said Childs.
After the first section is complete, renourishment will then move south from the Surfside Beach Pier toward the southern project boundary in Georgetown County. This section is estimated to take an additional 30-35 days and should be complete by mid-September.
During active construction, the majority of these beaches will remain open and available for the public to enjoy. The contractor usually completes up to 500 feet per day, barring mechanical or weather delays, meaning active construction moves quickly and will only be in front of any particular building or area for two or three days.You can track the progress of the project in real time online here.
