This week crews planted about 180,000 springs of sea grass and sea oats along the Myrtle Beach coastline.
The grasses in the dunes do not grow naturally and have to be buried one at a time.
The dunes are the coastline’s first line of defense from high tides and flooding as they absorb much of the water’s impact like a wall.
“It catches the blowing sand and traps them,” Tod O’Briant, beach coordinator for the City of Myrtle Beach said. “That will keep them in place and that naturally will build the dune. Same thing with the beach grass, it helps catch the sand particles, keep them in place and prevents the erosion.”
City officials tell News13, they have found the beach needs to be re-nourished about every 10 years and said although it was re-nourished after Hurricane Micheal, it was time for more dune restoration.
“It’s like an airbag in your car; you get one use and you’ve got to replace it,” O’Briant said.
The beach re-nourishment project began in the winter along the entire Grand Strand coastline with the implementation of new sea fencing. Planting new grasses and oats is the final step.
