Beach Nourishment & Preservation

2025 / 2026 Beach Nourishment Project

PROGRESS TRACKER

FEBRUARY 2, 2026

As of NOON on Saturday, January 31, sand placement operations have been COMPLETED for the Off-Shore Oak Island (OS-OKI) portion of the Project. To allow for the demobilization and removal of equipment, the area of W Beach Drive from 69th Pl West to The Point is now being CLOSED daily to all thru-traffic from 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM until February 13.

Sand placement for the Wilmington Harbor portion of the Project being conducted by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is still active, and is currently near the area of SE 69th Street; expecting to be completed by Saturday, February 7.

As sand placement operations are completed, it is more important to ensure safety in the demobilization and removal of equipment. Please follow all detours, road closures, and onsite traffic direction as these projects work to remove the many pieces of large equipment and heavy machinery used in the Project

COMPLETED: Crews have completed sand placement operations in the areas of
- SE 52nd St to 5th Pl W (OS-OKI)
- 13th Pl W to 33rd Pl W (OS-OKI)
- 48th Pl W to The Point (OS-OKI)
- McGlamery St to SE 70th St (USACE)
CURRENT: Crews with USACE are still working in the area of:
- SE 69th St. to SE 63rd St.
FUTURE: Crews with the OS-OKI project are working to demobilize equipment in the area from 69th Pl W to The Point. The USACE expects to be completed with sand placement, and being demobilizing equipment by Saturday, February 7.

PROGRESS MAP

The Progress Tracker Map provided below shows operations areas which are:

COMPLETED • CURRENT • FUTURE

PROJECT NOTICES

MULTIPLE ZONES NOTICE As of January 5, 2026 the Project is now active in multiple work zones, as sand placement for the Wilmington Harbor (USACE) and the Oak Island Off-Shore (OS-OKI) projects are both in operation on the public beach areas.
DREDGING NOTICE As of Friday, November 21 at 4:30 PM -- Dredging & Sand Placement Operations are NOW ACTIVE.
OPERATIONS NOTICE Work for this project will be conducted 24 hours per day, resulting in effects which include noise, moving machinery, ground vibrations, and closed beach areas. To ensure the safety of everyone, please be sure to respect the boundaries of any closed staging or construction areas, and do not distract crews onsite by attempting to speak with them or ask questions.
CLOSURE NOTICE The parking lot for the Kevin Bell Skatepark and the adjacent Beach Access Location on SE 49th Street, will be CLOSED to allow for project staging.
SURVEY NOTICE A surveyor from Weeks Marine (the dredging contractor) will be performing Before Dredging (BD) After Dredging (AD) Surveys on the beach regularly throughout the project.

About The 2025 / 2026 Project

During the Fall and Winter months, the 2025 / 2026 Beach Nourishment Project will service the entire Town in the largest non-emergency noruishment project in over 25 years.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Not all areas of the beach are the same. Throughout the more than 10 miles of project shoreline, different geological forces have shaped and impacted the beach in different ways. While this project will service the entire beach area, it will also account for the different needs of specific areas, and distribute sand accordingly.
Some areas may not receive direct sand placement during this project, based on factors including stability of historical erosion rates and budgeting limitations.
Town staff and the contracted engineering firm, Moffatt & Nichol are continuing to look for opportunities and funding which will allow for additional sand in areas not currently receiving direct sand placement during this Project. If an opportunity does become available, notifications will be published on this page.

A Grand Total of 1,641,000 cubic yards (cy) of new sand placement will be provided through a combination of three separate projects:

Lockwoods Folly Inlet Project: 100,000cy
Wilmington Harbor Project: 600,000cy
OS-OKI Project: 941,000cy

Information on each individual project is provided below:

WILMINGTON HARBOR

Also known as the Wilmington Harbor Project, this project is being conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), with no direct oversight from Town Administration. The USACE is planning to dredge the Wilmington Harbor Inner Ocean Bar with placement on Caswell Beach and Oak Island.

The Town of Oak Island has contributed funds which enable additional material to be dredged and placed on the eastern portions of the Town of Oak Island. A total of 600,000 cy of sand will be added to the to beach areas on the East end, from McGlamery Street to SE 63rd Street (NOTE: This project originally anticipated to place sand up to SE 56th Street, however, updated availability estimates now project the placement to end at SE 63rd Street. If this changes, this page will be updated).

PROJECT TIMELINE

The initial contract with USACE for this project was signed in September 2024

In the Spring of 2025, the Town exercised an option to accept Additional Placement Areas for $6.6M, providing 600,000 cubic yards of sand in the Town of Oak Island's public beach areas.

Sand placement areas are noted as Options 1 & 2 in the map below.

OS-OKI

Also known as the OS-OKI Project ("Off-Shore OKI") this project is being conducted by contracted engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol, with oversight from the Town of Oak Island. It will provide 941,000 cy of sand to areas between SE 43rd St. and The Point parking lot (6909 W Beach Drive).

NOTE: Some locations within this service area may not receive sand during this project, based on factors including stability of historical erosion rates and budgeting limitations.

The goal of this project is to provide Advance Fill Berm to maintain the 10-Year Level of Protection provided by 2020 / 2021 and 2021 / 2022 Beach Nourishment Projects.

PROJECT SCHEDULE

September 2025

Town provides Notice to Proceed to Contractor
Early Agency Coordination

October 2025

M&N provides Issued for Construction (IFC) drawings to Contractor
Town conducts borrow area survey
Agency Notifications conducted
Preconstruction Survey conducted by Contractor, IFC drawings updated as needed
Preconstruction Meeting held with Agencies, Town, Contractor, and M&N
Mobilization begins

November 2025

Final Notifications conducted
Dredging & placement begins (70-80 days)
Weekly Meetings

December 2025

Ongoing dredging & placement
Weekly Meetings

January 2026

Dredging & placement conclude
Demobilization begins
Weekly Meetings

February 2026

Demobilization completed

April/May 2026

Dune planting begins

May / June 2026

Planting installation complete
Fertilization & plant establishment

PROJECT HISTORY

September 2025: Moffatt & Nichol provided a project update, noting that mobilization of equipment was prepared to being in November (NOTE: This has since been updated to begin in October 2025).

July, 2025: Survey work on the beach areas and Lockwoods Folly Inlet was conducted, in preparation for the upcoming nourishment project.

May, 2025: Contracted engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol rebid this project, with bids being opened on May 12. the project entered bid negotiation with the low bidder.

March 2025: The USACE permit was approved, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) lease was been finalized.

November 14, 2024: Contractor bids received had far exceeded the amounts expected or budgeted. In response, work on the Project was postponed to the 2025 / 2026 season.

PERMITS & AUTHORIZATIONS

The following authorizations have been obtained for the project:

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) lease
401 Water Quality Certification
CAMA Permit
State Historic Preservation Office Determination of No Effect
Tribal Historic Preservation Office Determination of No Effect
Essential Fish Habitat Consultation Completed
Section 408 Review Completed
BOEM / USACE Joint Finding of No Significant Impact
USACE Permit

LOCKWOODS FOLLY INLET

Also known as the Lockwoods Folly Inlet Crossing & Bend Widener Project, this project was conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and COMPLETED in March 2025, with no direct oversight from Town Administration.

Dredging from the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW), the USACE provided 100,000 cubic yards (cy) of sand to the beach area on the far West end, known as The Point.

Project Update History

This section will be updated regularly throughout the project.

January 26, 2026: Sand placement continues throughout multiple work zones as both the Wilmington Harbor and the Oak Island Off-Shore (OS-OKI) projects begin drawing to a close. At current progress, on-beach operations for the OS-OKI project should be concluded this week, while the USACE wraps up the Wilmington Harbor project by early next week.
[Pictured (L to R), Councilmember Terri Cartner, Assistant Town Manager Kent Jackson, and Councilmember Bob Ciullo got an onsite progress report when they toured the dredge ship RB Weeks this past Thursday, January 22, 2026.]
January 19, 2026: Work continues multiple zones as sand placement operations for the Wilmington Harbor (USACE) and the Oak Island Off-Shore (OS-OKI) projects begin entering their final stretches.
January 12, 2026: The Project remains active in multiple work zones, as sand placement for the Wilmington Harbor (USACE) is now in the area of Keziah St., and the Oak Island Off-Shore (OS-OKI) project is in the area of 33rd Pl W.
January 5, 2026: The Project is now active in multiple work zones, as sand placement for the Wilmington Harbor (USACE) and the Oak Island Off-Shore (OS-OKI) projects are both in operation on the public beach areas.
Friday, December 19, 2025: as noted earlier, an additional 114,000 cubic yards of sand has been added to the project.
By December 20, crews will return to the pipeline at SE 40th St, to place the additional sand in the area of SE 43rd St. to SE 52nd St.
Work in this area expected to be complete by December 25, afterwards, crews will return to the previous work area near 9th Pl E.
Tuesday, December 16, 2025: Sand Placement has bee COMPLETED from SE 43rd St to 14th Pl E -- Projected Work Area for the week of December 16 - 22 will be from 11th Pl E to 3rd Pl E
Monday, December 15, 2025: The Oak Island Town Council has approved the placement of an additional 114,000 cubic yards of sand, made available through a Coastal Storm Damage Mitigation Grant for $3M.
- This additional sand will be placed in the areas of SE 43rd St. to SE 52nd St. and from 2nd Pl W to 3rd Pl W.
- Currently, the OS-OKI operation has placed 255,000 out of the 941,000 cubic yards of sand provided in the Base Contract
Tuesday, December 9 several pipelines have been placed outside of the current working area, to allow for future operations. Currently, these locations include: SE 40th St. and 23rd Pl W,
- These pipes are considered staged equipment and should NOT be climbed on, walked around or interacted with in any way!
As of Monday, December 8 the Dredging & Sand Placement has been COMPLETED from SE 43rd St. to 25th Pl E. Operations are currently between 22nd Pl E and 11th Pl E, moving WEST
Tuesday, December 2, 2025: A Special Notification letter was drafted and sent to property owners along the far West end of the project area (W Beach Dr.), notifying them that private walkovers constructed on the dunes may need to be removed, to allow for dune construction.
Monday, December 1, 2025: The Dredging & Sand Placement has been COMPLETED from SE 43rd St. to 29th Pl E. Operations are currently between 29th Pl E and 19th Pl E, moving WEST
Wednesday, November 26: Assistant Town Manager Kent Jackson has toured the construction area, and was given a full onsite briefing now that regular operations are underway. The project has experience little complications during the start, and is operating on-schedule.
Monday, November 25, 2025: Crews have mostly completed work throughout the first project section at SE 43rd St. From there, operations will resume work at 37th Pl E and proceed West.
Friday, November 21, 2025: The Hopper Dredge RB WEEKS arrived at the dredging are offshore around shortly before 6:00 AM, with Dredging & Sand Placement operations becoming active at 4:30 PM, following a pre-dredge safety checklist.
Monday, November 17, 2025: Dredging & Sand Placement operations remain anticipated to begin late evening on Thursday, November 20 or early Friday, November 21. The first working location will be from approximately 37th PL E to SE 43rd St.
Sunday, November 16, 2025: Previously noted parking areas on SE 49th St. are now CLOSED with equipment and materials now in place for project staging.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025: Dredging operations are now scheduled to begin on Thursday, November 20, with pipe and equipment placement on the beach still scheduled to begin on Sunday, November 16.
Monday, November 10, 2025: (UPDATED) Starting on Sunday, November 16, 2025 the public parking area and Beach Access Locations on SE 49th St. will be CLOSED to allow for equipment placement and project staging Additionally, a surveyor from Weeks Marine (the contractor performing the dredging and sand placement) will begin performing the Before Dredging (BD) surveys along the beach. Both the BD and AD (After Dredging) Surveys will be performed regularly throughout the project, and will begin at the eastern edge of the work area near SE 46th St., and move towards the West as the work progresses.
Thursday, November 6, 2025:A surveyor from Weeks Marine will be performing the Before Dredging (BD) surveys along the beach, starting on Monday, November 10.
- Both Before Dredging (BD) and After Dredging (AD) surveys will be performed regularly throughout the project. Survey work will begin at the eastern edge of the project, near SE 46th St., and move towards the West as the project progresses.
Tuesday, November 4, 2025: The Town has been notified by Weeks Marine (the contractor performing the dredging and sand placement) that it intends to begin mobilizing pipes and equipment on the beach on Sunday, November 16, 2025.
- Weeks Marine will be using the Beach Access Location at SE 49th St. as the Staging Area. and track equipment using the contractor beach access route across E. Beach Drive as stated in the letter.
Thursday, October 16, 2025: The Town has been notified by Coastal Transplants that teams will be conducting harvesting of Sea Oats between October 28 -November 5, 2025. This is in coordination with pre-project survey work for the Beach Nourishment Project. Harvesting will be from the area planted as part of the previous beach nourishment, to ensure Oak island seed is replanted as part of the current project. Team members will identify themselves and display the Coastal Transplants logo on their apparel.
Tuesday, October 14, 2025: The Pre-Construction Beach Profile Survey has begun. Surveying contractor Gahagan & Bryant Associates (GBA) will be conducting the survey work, which will include operations on the land and water. The work is expected to take between 7 - 14 days to complete, weather permitting. CLICK HERE for full details on this Notice.

Project FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions for the USACE Wilmington Harbor Inner Ocean Bar (WHIOB) Project

Is this associated with the Town’s 2025/2026 Renourishment Project?
No, the WHIOB project is sponsored by the USACE and is a result of the Wilmington Harbor Sand Management Plan to beneficially place beach compatible material on adjacent beaches. The Town entered into an agreement with the USACE to have additional sand placed further west within the Town limits.
Is the same dredging Contractor performing both Projects?
No, Weeks Marine Inc is the Contractor secured by the Town to perform the 2025/2026 Renourishment Project and Norfolk Dredging is the Contractor secured by the USACE Wilmington District to perform the WHIOB Project.
When will beach nourishment work begin?
The Town will coordinate with the USACE and obtain updates as the work plan is available.
When will work finish?
The Town will coordinate with the USACE and obtain updates as the work plan is available.
Where will they start?
The USACE’s Contractor will begin work at the eastern end of Caswell Beach and proceed west. As the project progresses, the Contractor will add pipeline as needed until they reach the end of the project extent at SE 58^th St.
When will the Contractor reach the eastern end of the Town of Oak Island?

The Town will be coordinating with the USACE with updates on progress on the WHIOB Project and this website will be updated accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions for the OS-OKI Project

What is this project going to do? This project will place an advance fill berm to counteract the effects of long-term erosion along the Town’s oceanfront shoreline. This berm will serve to protect the dunes that were constructed in the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 beach nourishment projects. Repair of the dunes will also take place along a limited portion of the West End.
Why did I get a letter to sign an easement if I am not getting any sand? Limited portions of the Town are not receiving sand in the 2025/2026 Renourishment Project. The placement areas have been selected to maximize benefits based on the condition of the beach and the long-term rates of erosion along the shoreline.
When will the beach nourishment project begin? The Contractor is currently projected to start mobilizing large equipment and pipeline in October 2025. Mobilization of equipment (pipeline) will begin in October 2025 and will mostly occur around the location of the two eastern pipeline corridors near SE 40^th St and between 14^th Pl E and 11^th Pl E. There are four pipeline corridor locations spread across the project length which the Contractor may work to lay these pipes initially. The dredging and sand placement will begin towards end of November. We ask that the public respect the construction fencing and stay away from equipment.
When will the beach nourishment project finish? Permits require that all sand placement equipment, including pipes and large earth moving equipment are to be removed from the beach by April 30, 2026 to avoid nesting sea turtle activity. At this time, the Contractor expects to have the dredging and placement completed in the early spring of 2026. Dune planting is expected to be conducted in late spring/summer 2026.
Where will they start? At this time, the Contractor is planning to begin work at the western end of the project. The first pipeline to offload material from the dredge will be located near SE 40^th St. As the project progresses the Contractor will move their pipeline location and work to place sand to the east and west of each new pipeline location. The Contractor may even work off two pipeline locations at once. There will be four pipeline locations spread across the project.
How will the beach nourishment affect my visit to Oak Island? The Contractor will work 24/7. In the active construction area, you may experience some construction noise, night illumination, and closed sections of the beach. Outside the active construction areas, pipeline running parallel to the beach will be laid for sand to be pumped to the active construction area. Pipelines will remain in place in front of individual properties for a brief period of time as the work the progresses the pipe will be removed and placed in the new active work area. Sand ramps will be constructed over the pipelines around 500 ft apart to allow pedestrian traffic over the pipe. We appreciate your patience with the project. Regular updates will be provided on Town’s website to allow visitors to plan accordingly.
When will the construction be in front of my house? When the project begins (anticipated November 2025) the Town will work with the Contractor to provide an estimate of active working areas as soon as the information is available. This information is subject to change based on weather and other factors. About 1,000 ft of beach will be closed off at any given point during construction. Depending on weather, the section of beach will remain closed for 2-3 days where they are working.
Do they work certain days of the week or certain hours of the day? The contractor will work 24/7 until the project is complete, depending on weather conditions.
Will there be noise during construction? You will typically hear back-up alarms from bulldozers and trucks when construction operations are taking place in front of your property. Throughout the night, lights will be used on the beach and may be visible from homes. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Where will the sand come from? The sand source is an offshore borrow area termed OS-OKI (Offshore Oak Island), about 20 miles offshore.
Why is sand NOT being placed directly if front of MY house? This goal of this project is to provide as much protection to the entire beach area overall, given the funding and resources available. While some specific areas may not see direct sand placement, ALL areas have been evaluated and surveyed to provide the best possible placement of the sand available.
Areas which do not receive direct sand placement now, are expected to experience some “natural transport” of placed sand from the adjacent areas, based on factors including the stability of historical erosion rates as the beach evolves naturally from east to west. Even though direct sand placement operations may not occur directly in front of a home, the area should still benefit from the overall sand placement of the project as a whole.

BEACH MANAGEMENT

Click the tabs below for more information on the Town's Beach Management Plans, as well as previously completed Beach Nourishment Projects.

Beach Management Plans

The sand dunes and public beach areas of Oak Island are vital to the protection of homes, businesses, wildlife, and the economy of the Town. To ensure they continue providing that protection for years to come, the public beach areas are maintained through the Town's two distinct Beach Nourishment programs:

Beach & Inlet Management Plan
CRC Beach Management Plan

Full details on each plan are provided below.

Beach & Inlet Management Plan

The Beach & Inlet Management Plan is the Town's ongoing effort to provide long-term managed solutions for the maintenance of the dunes, beaches, and the inlet areas. It provides a multi-year strategy that addresses the common challenges of beach erosion, in a way that is both thorough and financially responsible.

Previously referred to as the "Beach Nourishment Master Plan" or simply the "Beach Management Plan," the Beach & Inlet Management Plan has been developed over a period of several years; starting in January 2016, the Plan underwent multiple changes and revisions before finalized in its current form on April 12, 2022.

Beach nourishment projects represent some of the largest financial planning commitments within the Town of Oak Island. To help ease the costs to Town residents, the Beach & Inlet Management Plan is funded through a combination of resources, which include the Town's Sand Tax ($0.03), the Accommodations Tax and State Funding.

Current expenditures are listed in the Town Budget, which can be viewed on the Budget Information page at OakIslandNC.gov/BUDGET or by clicking the link below.

CRC Beach Management Plan

The CRC Beach Management Plan allows for regulatory flexibility for oceanfront construction setbacks, and is approved by the NC Coastal Resources Commission (CRC), in compliance with its July 2022 ruling on the ability for coastal communities to utilize a "Development Line" as the setback measurement for beachfront development. The Plan demonstrates to the CRC a "commitment to maintaining beach nourishment projects."

The Plan was developed in August of 2022 through a contract with engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol and approved by the Town Council on June 15, 2023, receiving final CRC approval on June 22, 2023.

Plan regulations include:

The 60’ setback for beachfront properties is measured from the first line of natural and stable vegetation.
Houses cannot be any further seaward than the most landward adjacent house. This is determined by the rooflines/overhangs of the adjacent houses.
Exceptions allowed in the 60’ setback such as detached decking, pools, etc. (each with their own set of restrictions) are allowed seaward of adjacent houses.

Click the links below to view the CRC Beach Management Plan and its four Appendices:

Previous Nourishment Projects

General Information

What Is Beach Nourishment

Beach Nourishment is defined by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as "the adding of sediment onto or directly adjacent to an eroding beach."

In Oak Island, this is typically seen in the process of "dredge" ships just offshore, which scoop u sand from the ocean floor, and send it through pipes onto the beach areas. From there, heavy equipment such as bulldozers and excavators move the sand and help shape the profile of the beach and surrounding sand dunes or berms.

Depending on the amount of sand to be moved, the process can usually take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Other than emergency erosion repair following a natural disaster such as a Hurricane, most all Beach Nourishment Projects are performed during the less busy seasons of Winter and early Spring.

Why It Is Important

As the USACE also notes, "a wide, nourished beach system absorbs wave energy, protects upland areas from flooding, and mitigates erosion. The beach provides a buffer between storm waves and landward areas, and it can prevent destructive waves from reaching the dunes and upland developments. When sediment is naturally moved offshore from a nourished beach, it causes waves to break farther from the shoreline, which weakens their energy before reaching the shore."

Preforming beach nourishment at regular intervals has the same benefits as a maintenance schedule for any manmade or natural feature. It helps to enhance the accessibility to all, while also preserving property and a natural habitat for the plants and animals that call the dunes system "home."

How You Can Help

Sand dunes and berms serve a vital role in the protection of people, wildlife, and both natural and man-made features. These are protected places, and should be treated with care and respect.

To help preserve the sand dunes and berms, which in turn preserve our way of life, please use only the designated walkways, pathways, and Beach Access Locations provided by the Town

NOTE: Walking, running, playing, climbing, or any other traffic of any kind on, or across the sand dunes and berms, except in designated access areas is PROHIBITED.

Additional Resources

The Town utilizes several public-private partnerships with local civic and non-profit organizations, to help ensure our dunes and beaches stay health and clean. If you would like to learn more about the dunes or the beaches themselves, as well as the wildlife they help protect, just visit any of the following resources:

Oak Island, NC