Posted on January 29, 2025
ISLE OF PALMS — The city is gearing up to deepen its marina and has set aside over $1 million to do it.
The city of Isle of Palms applied in January for permits with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the S.C. Department of Environmental Services to deepen the marina and a portion of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.
The goal of the dredging project is “to provide adequate depths for recreational and commercial vessels at the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway,” according to the public notice issued Jan. 14.
Sediment and silt collect at the bottom of the waterway over time, so dredging allows larger boats to navigate the waters without scraping the bottom of the marina or getting stuck during low tides.
The work would bring the depth of the marina to at least 10 feet at mean low water level, or at the low tide. In some areas, the marina currently is recorded at a depth of 8 feet, according to project plans. The work would also create a 12-foot depth in the waterway leading to the marina channel.
The city received $1.5 million from the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism in 2023 that’s been earmarked for the dredging project ever since.
Mayor Phillip Pounds said the work is part of a regular maintenance cycle. The last time the marina was dredged was in 2011.
At that time, water levels would get so low that boats would scrape the bottom of the channel and floating docks would be stuck in the mud.
Mike Shuler, CEO of Coastal Marinas, the company that took oversees marina operations, said the dredge work is “long overdue.”
“I think the same could be said for the majority of the Intercoastal Waterway,” Shuler said. “It’s a very good thing. It’s always good to stay at that because it doesn’t get any better on its own.”
Boats sit in the Isle of Palms marina located at 50 41st Ave. in 2019 prior to a $4.3 million revitalization project.
It’s unlikely the dredging project will impact marina operations, Shuler said.
The city contracted with a Mount Pleasant engineering firm, Applied Technology and Management, for the design and permitting of the project.
The project aims to remove up to 20,000 cubic yards, or the equivalent of 2,000 dump-trucks-worth of material from the bottom of the channel. The spoil material, a mix of mud and sediment, will be disposed of in an approved placement site.
One possible location is the placement site beneath the Isle of Palms connector, which can be spotted when traveling to the island across the bridge.
The permit application also proposes a beneficial use for the dredge spoil at the Wild Dunes resort, placing the sediments taken out of the marina and AIWW onto the upland portions of the Wild Dunes Harbor Course.
Construction likely won’t begin until 2026, Pounds said. Permitting approval can take over a year in some cases.
“The permitting processes on these types of things are so long,” Pounds said. “It’s just hard when you’re relying on the federal government to issue a permit that takes anywhere from 12 to 18 months.”
Starting the process now will help the city get ahead before sediment begins to accumulate in the channel, and vessels are unable to navigate the marina.
Mary Ann Richardson Stisher leads Pilates-inspired workouts on paddleboards at classes held at Isle of Palms Marina, Ripley Light Marina and Bohicket Marina.
“Any time it’s low tide, there’s going to be areas you can go in and areas you can’t throughout the Intracoastal Waterway. Particularly because of all the marina traffic, it’s kind of a particularly important spot to focus on for dredging,” Shuler said.
Millions spent on marina upgrades in last five years
The marina includes 50 boat slips, a restaurant and store called the Outpost.
The site is popular with recreational boaters, and several fishing charters operate out of the marina. The Dewees Island Ferry also carries visitors to and from the private community within a conservation easement at the marina.
The marina is situated on five acres at the end of 41st Avenue on the Isle of Palms, adjacent to Morgan Creek and the waterway.
It’s undergone several changes and improvements in recent years.
The city purchased the marina in 1999, though the property is leased to and operated by Coastal Marinas. The company took over operations in 2022, and operates several other marinas in the Charleston-area.
The city has funneled millions of dollars to improve the marina over the past five years, with more additions on the way.
In 2020, officials approved a roughly $4,300,000 makeover that included the complete demolition and reconstruction of the 30-year-old floating docks.
A new public dock will be unveiled near the marina next month. Construction on the $1,700,000 project began in April 2024. Plans for the floating dock include a kayak and stand-up paddle board launch, swings and a pier.
ISLE OF PALMS PLANS TO DREDGE MARINE: Isle of Palms will dredge its marina and a portion of the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway, removing 20,000 cubic yards, or 2,000 dump-trucks-worth of material, and deepening the waterways.
