Work begins on Wrightsville Beach renourishment project

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) — Following a short delay due to inclement weather, the Army Corps of Engineers began its Coastal Storm Risk Management Project on Friday. 

The goal of the project is to add roughly 160,000 tons of sand to the coastline for added protection from future storms.  That’s a 22-percent increase from the amount of sand used in the last beach renourishment project four years ago.  

Project Manager Bob Keistler said the project benefits more than just local property owners.  

 “It’s not just for Wrightsville Beach,” Keistler said. “It’s for the county, it’s for the state, it’s the nation. And you’ll see users of these beaches from all over the country.”  

 And for Floridian visitor Carrie Mostul, the work certainly came as a shock.  

“I just came out to see how beautiful it was, and I’m looking at all this construction and I’m going ‘woah,’” said Mostul. 

Keistler said while the project may create a visual distraction, it’s a necessary step in protecting the future of Wrightsville Beach.  

 “At high tide, if you’ve been here in the last two years at high tide the water is hitting the dunes. At high tide there’s not much beach for anybody to lay out, or fish, or turtles to nest.”  

Keistler also noted that the $14.7 million federal contract is a drop in the bucket compared to what state and local governments would pay without the renourishment.  

 “The benefit of doing it prior to a storm hitting is cheaper than waiting till the storm’s hitting damage and having to replace things,” Keistler said. “So, that really is the federal interest.”