The 2006-2007 Hilton Head Island renourishment project : physical and biological responses of the Joiner and Barrett Shoals borrow areas to dredging

Dredging of subtidal sand deposits for beach nourishment is a common strategy for countering erosion in the southeastern US, but its impacts on soft bottom habitats remain poorly understood. During 2006-2007, Hilton Head Island was nourished using sand from two borrow areas, one located in Joiner Shoals on the north end of the island and the south edge of the Port Royal Sound entrance channel, and one located in Barrett Shoals on the south end of the island near the inlet of Calibogue Sound. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources monitored the sediment and benthic community in these borrow areas between August 2006 and March 2008 to determine the impacts associated with dredging and to determine whether the borrow areas showed evidence of recovering over a one year period following dredging