Volunteers from Belin Memorial United Methodist Church in Murrells Inlet, SC, students from local schools and volunteers from Murrells Inlet 2020 deployed the manufactured wire oyster reefs that were made last week. SCDNR and SCORE (South Carolina Oyster Recycling & Enhancement) guided us through the deployment process.

We started the process when the tide was lower so we could walk around and get the oyster reefs further out into the inlet. Several people worked on the grass lowering the wire oyster reefs to the people working in the inlet. From there, we worked in teams to move the wire oyster reefs to where they needed to be placed in the inlet. After all of the reefs were in place, we hammered in rebar to keep them from moving. It definitely was a team effort!

We placed 70 wire oyster reefs. Once covered in oysters, 1.2 million gallons of water will be filtered by the oysters on the reefs in one hour!

Next year, SCDNR with work with a local school to plant spartina grass to help with erosion. This time next year, the area in front of Belin Memorial United Methodist Church in Murrells Inlet will look completely different!

Projects like these cannot happen without recycled oysters. In Murrells Inlet, you can recycle your oysters at Oyster Landing Road and the public boat landing.

These wire oyster reefs are built and deployed in Murrells Inlet and along the coast of South Carolina. You can contact SCDNR for volunteer opportunities.

Building and deploying the wire oyster reefs was a great experience and I would definitely do it again! I got to enjoy and improve our beautiful inlet, spend time with friends and meet a few new people! What questions do you have?

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Looking for real estate in Murrells Inlet, Surfside Beach and Garden City Beach, SC or the surrounding areas? Kathy Rukat Smith can help with your real estate needs.

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Kathy Rukat Smith, a Murrells Inlet real estate agent with Palmetto Coastal Homes