Army Corps pumping sand to renourish Tybee beach

Tybee Island beach and pier. (US Army Corps of Engineers)

The Army Corps of Engineers is giving Tybee Island's beach a fresh layer of sand - $11 million worth.

It's the first time since 2000 that Georgia's largest public beach has been renourished with new sand to repair erosion. Tybee Island needs it badly. Portions of the beach had eroded so much
that they vanished underwater at high tide.

The Army Corps began pumping sand from the ocean floor last week and spreading it onto the beach. About 120,000 dump truck loads of sand are needed overall. The work is scheduled to continue into January.

Officials waited to start the project until after the summer tourist season was over and rare sea turtles had finished nesting on Tybee Island.

(The Associated Press)

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