On Wednesday, the South Carolina Environmental Law Project is back in court for a case challenging a decision to allow permanent covered sandbags.

Officials said it all began in late 2021, when out-of-state property owners installed a sandbag wall along the shoreline without proper authorization. The sandbags function as a hard erosion control structure at Debidue Beach, according to the SCELP.

State environmental staff ordered removal for it, but SCELP said a vote by the DHEC Board allowed the structure to remain under the label of a “research project.”

Representing the Coastal Conservation League, SCELP appealed that decision, led by Senior Attorney Leslie Lenhardt. SCELP said they argued it "violates clear state prohibitions on permanent sandbags and thwarts the purposes of the Beachfront Management Act."