2-month beach renourishment begins in Hilton Head

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — A two-month project to pump sand on to an eroding part of Hilton Head Island has begun.

The Island Packet of Hilton Head reports (http://bit.ly/s0jRVV ) that crews started laying pipe for the nearly $10 million project on Friday and hope to start pumping sand from a mile offshore on to the northeast tip of the island this week. The sand will be pumped 24 hours a day for two months.

Hilton Head Island officials say a decade of erosion has taken about 1,000 feet of sand and if not reversed could soon threaten oceanfront property.

Crews also will build a 700-foot-long wall of granite boulders to try and prevent future erosion.

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Information from: The Island Packet, http://www.islandpacket.com