U.S. Army Corps of Engineers discuss Pleasure Island beach re-nourishment project

CAROLINA BEACH, NC (WWAY) — Pleasure Island residents will soon be seeing a familiar sight, as a beach renourishment project will begin.

Dozens of residents gathered at the Carolina Beach council chambers for a presentation by the Wilmington district of the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Kure Beach resident Douglas Rasp said he’s glad such a presentation was shown, so concerns could be addressed.

“It was a very good interview here and informative to all that I’ve seen in the past,” Rasp said. “I’m just concerned about getting the berms back in front of our houses.”

The project will re-nourish the beaches of multiple Pleasure Island towns, covering around 6 miles of coastline.

Sand will be dredged from the Carolina Beach inlet and a site offshore.

Mayor Lynn Barbee said some taxpayers complaining about their tax dollars going to this project need to know that it’s important.

“I think it’s just a lack of understanding of the beach nourishment project,” Barbee said. “So this is a 60-year-old project that’s been going on. And basically, we’re recycling sand, it allows us to keep our inlet open and the beaches nourished at the same time. The economic impact of this project is many times over the money returned to our county from what we actually spend on this project.”

The last time the town’s beaches were re-nourished was back in 2022.

The project is expected to start next month and finish in April.