Seawall Repair in Pawleys Island, SC

Pawleys Island calls itself America's Oldest Seaside Resort, and its two shorelines are managed in very different ways. On the ocean side, 23 groins protect the southern two-thirds of the beach between Midway Inlet and Pawleys Inlet, and the town pumped about 1.1 million cubic yards of new sand in 2020. On the creek side, the town's 2023 comprehensive plan sets goals to encourage living shorelines instead of bulkheads and to revise its rules on hardened structures. Repairing a wall you already have is the path of least resistance here.

How Does Pawleys Island Fit Into Our Grand Strand Coverage?

Pawleys is the southern end of the Grand Strand that our Myrtle Beach seawall repair team covers, and that team schedules and permits work here. Just north, Murrells Inlet has marsh-front walls in the same county. To the south, the river city of Georgetown took Ian's landfall. Further up the Strand, Surfside Beach shares the Grand Strand's storm history.

What Have Hurricanes Done to Pawleys Island?

Hugo (1989). The National Weather Service says the surge cut the island in two and carved a new inlet. The town plan notes that about 46% of the island's homes were built after Hugo.

Ian (2022). The Hurricane Center lists Pawleys Island among the hardest-hit places in South Carolina and reports inundation of 4 to 6 feet above ground in Georgetown and Horry counties. Local reporting says Ian flattened the south-end dune and took more than half the 2020 renourishment sand from that area, leading to a federal repair project there.

The town plan also notes that the entire town lies in FEMA's 100-year floodplain. Surge that crosses the island reaches the creek-side walls from the top.

Why Do Pawleys Creek Bulkheads Lose Ground?

Tide on the back side. NOAA's station at Pawleys Inlet (Wards Dock) records a mean range of 3.32 feet, and the pier on the ocean side shows 4.91 feet. Either way, water moves through any open seam twice a day.

A shifting inlet. The town plan says Pawleys Inlet is dynamic and tends to migrate south. Changing currents can scour the toe of nearby walls.

Marsh mud. The creek-side marsh is pluff mud, a fine, oxygen-poor blend of silt and decaying cordgrass that gives a wall's toe little support.

Which Repairs Fit a Creek-Side Wall on Pawleys?

For a wall that stands straight but has soft spots behind it, polyurethane injection fills voids and seals seams through small holes in the cap. It doesn't disturb the marsh or the yard. Rotted boards and failed hardware get bulkhead repair through our Charleston team. Walls that have started leaning toward the creek can be anchored with seawall reinforcement. If the bank is a good candidate for a living shoreline instead, we'll say so.

What Approvals Does Pawleys Island Wall Work Need?

• SCDES Bureau of Coastal Management. Pawleys Creek and its marsh are critical areas under the SC Department of Environmental Services, which took over DHEC's coastal program in July 2024. Normal maintenance and repair may not need a critical area permit.
• Oceanfront. The Beachfront Management Act bars new seawalls, bulkheads, and revetments on the active beach. Grandfathered structures may be maintained but not enlarged or strengthened.
• Town of Pawleys Island. The town's plan commits it to advising owners on state critical-area permits for anything on the creek side.

Book your free inspection and we'll confirm which approvals your wall needs.