Northeastern Section - 36th Annual Meeting (March 12-14, 2001)

In 1998, the State of South Carolina outlawed all development within 40 feet of the primary dune on barrier islands. The U.S. Supreme Court then ruled, in Lucas vs. South Carolina Coastal Council, that the State must compensate the landowner for the undevelopable land. The State, after one such purchase on the Isle of Palms (IOP) near Charleston, then resold the plots in question to a developer with building permits. Herein lies the contradiction that spurred this study. Although the IOP is accreting overall, the northern sections of the island are periodically subjected to severe erosion due to off shore shoal movement and thus erosion. The sand supply for the IOP comes from barrier islands further north. These sediments get trapped in Dewees Inlet, the ebb tidal channel then further transports the sand to the terminal lobe, eventually forming an offshore shoal at the North end of IOP. Wave processes then, over time, move the shoal landward. Prior to shoal attachment to the mainland – severe erosion can develop as a result of strong longshore flowing in the channel between the shoal and beachfront. The shoal migration may be cyclic – reoccurring approximately every six to ten years. This means that certain lots will oscillate between the conditions of accretion and strong erosion. The case, Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council, raises questions about public policy and private property rights, and suggests that these islands are poor places for the construction of permanent homes.