Environmental group puts up challenge to barrier wall

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently approved a request from a coastal resort to construct a barrier wall that developers say will stop beach erosion.

But that decision has already brought a lawsuit from environmentalists.

Developers of The Reserve, a proposed upscale housing development on Sea Island, say the “T-head groin” would also protect the land from storm damage.

The corps gave its approval last month for the permit, which also allows the Sea Island Co. to relocate sand from offshore to the island to create a longer beachfront.

The Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of environmental groups, filed a federal lawsuit this week challenging the permit, saying the corps did not consider alternatives before approving the project. The groups also are asking a judge to halt construction until the lawsuit is resolved.

Representatives from Sea Island did not respond to a request for comment.

In the suit, the conservation groups One Hundred Miles and the Altamaha Riverkeeper say the corps failed to consider less environmentally damaging alternatives, such as renourishing the beach without constructing the barrier wall.

Ever since the Sea Island Co. emerged from bankruptcy in 2010, developers have eyed the spit, a milelong strip of sand, marsh and pine scrub favored by horseback riders, sea turtles and shorebirds.

The Reserve is an undeveloped home site overlooking the ocean on one side and the Black Banks River on the other. Developers have created eight 1-acre lots and set aside an additional 80 acres as a conservation easement never to be developed.

After the developers proposed the project in 2015, the corps received more than 100 comments, with more than 95 percent opposing the project.

“If we continue to allow these types of reckless and destructive projects along the Georgia coast, we run the risk of irreparably damaging the natural beauty and resources that make this unique region such an incredible asset to our state,” said Bill Sapp, senior attorney for SELC.

Developers halted marketing of the project last year after Hurricane Irma damaged the property.