Erosion on Tybee Beach – Your Questions Answered
Recently we had a question about the Tybee Island beach. “How much has the southend or point eroded over the years? Is it comparable now to the way it was fifty years ago?” Good question.
Mr. Erik Olsen our City Coastal Engineer, was kind enough to answer the question.
The condition of the South end of Tybee is now stabilized (via groins and beach fill), and has been at its most seaward location since at least the 70’s or 80’s. In 1995, prior to groinfield construction, there was literally no beach at high tide at that location. The water was back to the 1930s seawall. In the 1960’s, prior to the COE dredging sand from Tybee Inlet, it may have extended a little farther south as a sandy spit. At that time, however, there was no dry beach around the corner seaward of the parking lot near the pier until the initiation of large scale beach restoration by the COE in the 70’s. The “take away” here is that with a renourishment project every 7-8 years, the sandy beaches of Tybee are in their most robust condition.
Good news!!!!
