CSE is pleased to continue our 11-year partnership with the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services, Bureau of Coastal Management (SCDES BCM – formerly OCRM) to monitor South Carolina’s beaches through their BERM (Beach Erosion Research and Monitoring) project. After recently completing our 2022-2024 monitoring agreement, we are honored to be awarded the 2025-2027 contract–continuing services provided to the state since 2013. Coastal monitoring is critical to the SCDES BCM coastal zone management program. This monitoring documents the health and condition of South Carolina beaches. It provides data to help managers identify environmental impacts, avoid future adverse impacts, determine renourishment needs, improve storm protection, and manage beach and dune growth or recession.
The BERM project encompasses ~110 miles of South Carolina’s developed sections of coastline (divided into 397 transects), including three state parks and one uninhabited island (Waties Island). Monitoring is broken down by location and season and scheduled over a year. Coastal surveys are conducted on land and overwater. Land-based (topographic) surveys measure the beach and dune using a survey rod and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver. Overwater (bathymetric) data is collected on a marine vessel equipped with underwater survey equipment. These surveys are also documented with aerial and panoramic imagery captured by unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Each year, CSE collects and processes data at all SCDES BCM survey sites and provides digital files to the agency for review and documentation.
CSE brings to this project the longest history of beach monitoring in South Carolina. For 40 years, CSE has collected topographic and bathymetric data on almost every beach and inlet in the state. Our staff is intimately familiar with South Carolina’s coastline based on prior experience mapping shorelines, designing beach nourishment projects, and performing annual monitoring for several communities. CSE values the trust SCDES BCM has placed in our monitoring services. We look forward to supporting the BERM project for another three years.
