Friday, January 11, 2019

Beach Reclamation



The View from the Patio

© Yolanda Renée 2019                                                            1/10/2019

“Beach reclamation is the act of reclaiming a beach from erosion. In other words, sand is added to the area that was lost to erosion “reclaiming” the shoreline that once was.”
After several hurricanes, the beaches in Myrtle Beach almost disappeared, but this October they were reclaimed. A dredge scoops up the sand offshore and then it is piped to the beach in the form of a slurry, and as it’s delivered back onto the beach, the dozers spread and compact it. We enjoyed watching the work. They worked night and day, and the picture above is the result. A beautiful beach.
Here are a few pictures that really tell the story!


Very early in the morning. We couldn't sleep so we watched the operation.

The operators of these machines were amazing. They laid the pipe end to end with the skill of a surgeon


These pipes weren’t welded together. A larger end was slid onto the smaller end, and all by the large dozer. Like I said amazing skill!

The slurry was very colorful when it first started through the pipe.
 
This eight-story machine was used to measure the shoreline so they could determine exactly how much and where the sand was needed.
Just a big truck on long legs that goes out into the surf.
Watching it work was really fun. Especially the night it got stuck in the surf. They worked for hours trying to rescue it. Eventually several of the dozers, via cable, unstuck it. It was then driven back to the beach under its own power. The waves that night were fierce, not nice and quiet like the first picture.



I almost forgot some of the best fun was the way the tourists tried to cross the construction area. The company used fences, yellow tape, signs, and several guards. We were surprised by the number of people who ignored all of it and walked into a dangerous construction zone. All of them were stopped by the guards, and most were kind, sort of like, “Oh sorry, didn’t see that barrier. Didn't notice that you were working.” But some of them were belligerent and hostile to the guards. To no avail though. Still, it was fun to watch. “Oh, you have a sign. Sorry, I can’t read!” 😊



I hope you enjoyed the view. 
Tell me a little about yours!





15 comments:

Elizabeth Seckman said...

That is amazing!!! I am so jealous of your view.

Pat Hatt said...

That sure takes some skill and know how indeed. Quite the view.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I always wondered how they did that. The three wheeler is an amazing little vehicle.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

We saw them doing that at Carolina Beach a couple years ago and had no idea what was going on.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Yolanda - I owe you lots of reads ... I'm almost at the point when I can say I'll be catching up ... but not quite! We always have to reclaim the beach here in Eastbourne ... lots of shingle brought in ... I'll be back - Happy New Year though ... and I'll be in touch - cheers Hilary

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Elizabeth! We love it!

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Pat, it sure was fun to watch.

Yolanda Renée said...

I know what fun to drive out into the ocean, but not get stuck. LOL

Yolanda Renée said...

Hi, Diane, amazing work!

Yolanda Renée said...

I'm glad you're settled. Catch up when you can!
Cheers!

Tanza Erlambang - Speed Up said...

wonderful views.
have a great day

Anonymous said...

Oh. My. *What a view.*

Loved the post, too. Knew about beach reclamation and seen the "finished product" before, but had no idea there was so much technique behind it.

(Have to admit, it would be so cool to drive that 8-storey truck/thingy :)

Happy new year to you, too, Yolanda!

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

I hate that the storms caused so much erosion, but it's soooo cool that you had a front row seat to see how the beach was restored. As for those tourists who ignored the workers and warning signs, oh yeah, they needs signs of their own. Familiar with the Blue Collar Comedy act? ("Heeeere's your sign...!")

Christine Rains said...

Fantastic view and really neat to see them reclaiming the beach. I laughed when you said people still walked out when there were fences and signs and such!

The Happy Whisk said...

It does look like it was fun to watch. Happy 2019 and boogie boogie.