Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co. obtained the $29.5 million contract for the Beach Renourishment Program in the Garden City Beach and Surfside Beach sections. The rest of Horry County's shoreline will be replenished during 2008.

Currently dredges are scraping up sand from about 3 miles offshore, then pumping it onto the beach, where it drains before being smoothed by bulldozers. It has been 10 years since the last revitalization program, and Wally and I remember it well. (We picked up a lot of wonderful shells that year.)

Click each photo to enlarge