The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in the middle of a $72 million beach renourishment project along 26 miles of Grand Strand shoreline. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company began pumping sand onto North Myrtle Beach in December 2025, moved to Myrtle Beach in February 2026, and will reach Surfside Beach by summer 2026. Two million cubic yards of sand — enough to fill 200,000 dump trucks — will be spread across the coast as part of the Grand Strand beach renourishment effort.
The entire project is funded by the federal government. Not a dime of local money is required for the core footprint. That sounds like a gift. But this is emergency storm damage repair classified under Hurricanes Ian and Debby — not the normal arrangement. Under standard cost-sharing rules, Horry County taxpayers would be responsible for 35 to 50 percent of the bill. And the next cycle is coming. It always does.
Mark Kruea, City of Myrtle Beach Mayor, said: “The beach is our primary natural resource. It’s in the name of the city. That’s why people come here, and we want to make sure that beach is there and in best shape as it possibly can be.”…